I got a very interesting email from a regular reader of this blog. He lives in Zhengzhou in Henan Province, and recently had an unusual experience trying to buy a computer.
I have a maddening and interesting story to relate to you. Might be an interesting story for you.
I am a filmmaker. I came to China in 2002 twice making documentaries and a year later came back to stay. I've been teaching and doing my photography for the last five years but not a lot of video. Oh, I've been shooting a lot of video but without a good computer to edit my stuff, I haven't really been doing a lot. A few months ago, I decided to buy a powerful media computer and start producing TV again. I've been looking, deciding the perfect computer for my needs. I've been to the Chinese Lenovo, Sony and Dell websites. I finally decided on a Lenovo workhorse of a computer. Found it on the Chinese Lenovo website. Powerful processor, 1TB hard drive, tons of ram, HD video board and Blue Ray DVD burner. Nice, nice machine...nice price too, 10,000 yuan.
Last month I was back in Dali and chatting with a couple of western filmmakers who also work and live here in China. I told them of my plan to buy a good "power" computer and start doing my thing again. They both laughed and said good luck buying my computer in China. I said I found it on Lenovo's website and I was sure I would have no problem. They went on to tell me it was next to impossible for the average Joe Blow to walk in off the street to the dealer and actually BUY one of those big computers you see online. They told me their experience here was that the government DOES NOT want the public to have these powerful computers. They said I would find I'd have to go home to buy a good Lenovo. Well, I just couldn't believe that.
Well...yesterday I went to Zhengzhou's computer center with 10,000 yuan in my pocket...and found what I had been told in Dali was 100% correct. I spent three hours...went to a dozen stores...Lenovo, HP, Dell, Sony...and found the same thing. I can buy a moderate computer...good for the internet and small chores...but they couldn't even order the big ones that were currently listed on their Chinese websites. If I'm a university or a Communist government office maybe but not me, average Joe Blow.
I went online at the stores and showed the managers (always deal with the managers!) their own company websites and SHOWED them the computer I wanted and the reply was always the same...not available! When I walked in the first Lenovo store (where my school bought all their computers), I showed the salesman my computer printout of the computer I wanted FROM THEIR OWN WEBSITE and he said he could order it for me and have it in a week. I said order it...he walked to the counter and made a phone call. About five minutes later the manager came to me and asked me why I needed such a powerful computer. I told him to do video. He proceded to give me a bunch of excuses why he couldn't get it. Lenovo has several models that will suit my needs...but when we went to Lenovo's website, the manager said ALL those models were "unavailable". Basically the same story at all the stores I went to.
I've been fuming ever since. What really pisses me off is not the computer per se...no, what angers me is for the past five years I have been pretty naive about just how much control this Communist government actually has over the people. I've told my friends and family of the freedom the Chinese people actually have...or what I have PERCEIVED to be freedom. But yesterday was just a small example of one of the many, many little things, little freedoms that the people here are denied. Little things that as an American I just take for granted. All those little freedoms...it's not the big stuff...it's all the little things. I told my Chinese wife that in the states I can walk in the store and walk out in 30 minutes with the actual computer I want. It's just a small thing but rather profound to me. What an eye opener to me to say the least.
Does the government believe I'll use that computer to overthrow Tibet or something???
Anyway...the more I thought about it, thought it might make for a good story.
Thanks.
Interesting story. I can understand the author's frustration.
But... Do we have unfettered access to "available" technology in the UK / USA?
For example, the accuracy of the GPS system was deliberately downgraded in its "civilian" mode. Better GPS was available - but the government (US government, in this case) decided that for ordinary purposes we couldn't have access to it.
(I'm not sure whether this is still the case, but it certainly was in the early days of GPS.)
I suppose the general point is that lots of things are banned / not available / restricted in the "West", but, by and large, we tend to accept these restrictions as being somehow natural or logical, so we "PERCEIVE" that we're living in freedom, too - but it's just as illusory. Just because something is restricted in China, it doesn't per se make the Chinese government a worse decision-maker than governments in the "West". It's not really a difference between "free" and "not free", it's a difference "quite a lot of restrictions" and "even more restrictions".
And then there's the question of which restrictions are good and which are bad.
Some Americans might be surprised or upset to find they can't buy a handgun in the UK. Does the British government believe I'm going to liberate Wales with pistol?
If you're an average American, you're probably on balance against restrictions on guns. As an average Brit, on balance I'm in favour of restrictions on guns.
As for restrictions on high-powered computers, well, I don't know too much about that. What could a high-powered computer be used for, apart from video editing? I'd guess cryptography, among other things. (Incidentally, the US government imposes pretty tight restrictions on the export of cryptographic know-how.)
I sympathise with the writer's predicament, and in his position I think I'd be pretty pissed off too. And it makes a good story. But, you know, when you start making a list of all the things you're not allowed to do "back home", and make sure that you include all the things that it's probably never even occured to you that you would want to do (just as it would probably never occur to 99.9% of Chinese, or 99% of Brits, that they would want to buy a super-high-spec computer), well, it gets to be a pretty long list. Some of those restrictions you'll probably agree with. Some you'll think are a bit iffy. And some you'll probably think are downright stupid.
Posted by: Ed | March 21, 2009 at 10:58 AM
That's initially very surprising, but when I think about it, it makes some sense. The CCP does want to limit the freedoms of average citizens. The average income for a city worker is about 14,000RMB, so it's logical that an average consumer would never be able to afford such an expense. Those that need it for work would buy them through their danwei, a known entity.
I would try going through your school. They have guanxi with the Lenovo store and are a known entity. You just pay the school. I agree that many small freedoms are curtailed but this does not stop the average Chinese person, as they simply look for another way around. Use Chinese culture against the Chinese government. The Chinese do it and so should you.
Posted by: Don Tai | March 21, 2009 at 11:21 AM
I find it hard to believe why the government doesn't want people to have powerful computers. We are talking about personal computer, not some super computer, right? I mean what can you do with a PC anyway, controlling a spy satellite? Besides, how powerful do you need for video editing?
Maybe the one he wanted was not in stock? I know some high end Lenovo models are only available in the US market, people in China seldom buy these high end models therefore local stores usually don't carry them. Even if they carry such models, the price is usually ridiculously high. This is true for some high end computer parts as well. That's my personal experience anyway.
If this guy wants a good computer, he can custom build one in any local computer stores. I am not sure about Zhengzhou though. In Beijing, you can go to any booth in any computer mall (such as Hailong, Dinghao or Taipingyang) in Zhongguanchun(中关村）, just show the technicians the configuration you want, they will build one for you on the spot. Usually you can have it in an hour, and you can have any (I mean ANY, pirated or legit, including OS) software you want installed too.
Posted by: Computer Geek | March 21, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Ed and Don Tai make good points. While it may seem absurd that one is not able to purchase a powerful computer as an individual, one has to consider the rationale behind the restriction. I won't attempt to guess what the reasoning is, but could suggest an analogy that may be understandable to Americans.
Not long ago, U.S. privacy advocates brought attention to nearly invisible "color printer dots" that permit authorities to trace the precise color printer that printed a document. See for example this article:
Printer dots raise privacy concerns
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/2008-07-13-printer_N.htm
The rationale behind the dots is so that U.S. authorities can trace the source of counterfeit currency. Apparently all the major color printer manufacturers agreed to put the virtually invisible dot printing function into every color machine sold in the U.S. Otherwise, the U.S. authorities would have forbidden their sale.
Presumably, it took some period of time for the manufacturers to agree to do this. Were such color printers therefore unavailable in the market until the manufacturers collectively agreed to this and installed the production capabilities to produce printers that included the technology? If so, then the position of the sale of color printers in the U.S. and that of the high-powered computers in China would be quite similar.
Is it possible that the authorities in China have similar concerns about nefarious uses of powerful computers by untraceable individuals?
I'm not saying whether any of the rules are good or bad policy, or that I agree or disagree with restrictions on sales of high powered computers or that the authorities should be able to "spy" on citizens who use color printers (and who may not know that what they print is traceable back to them).
All I'm trying to do is to point out (as Ed has done ably) that each country has its own policy concerns, and they may restrict you from certain purchases to meet those concerns.
On a more trivial level, I hate the fact that when I buy a laptop computer, it cannot permanently play DVDs from all regions around the world, so for those of us who travel and like to buy DVDs from different countries to use on a laptop, that is not possible. I believe this is a scheme among manufacturers and DVD producers to maximize revenues. However, my freedom is restricted and it is very frustrating. Does it make any difference whether the restriction is due to a governmental policy or the manufacturers' policy? At the level of the consumer, it makes no difference at all. I blame the "evil" manufacturers.
See "How to Unlock DVD Region Codes on Your MAC and PC"
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how_to/4274927.html
Out of curiosity, are laptops and DVDs sold in China also similarly restricted, or would I be able to more-or-less freely play any DVD on any laptop there?
Anyway, it's perhaps less maddening to put it in perspective that each jurisdiction has its own restrictions that may be based on health, safety, security, revenue, public interest, privacy or other concerns. Lots of Europeans hate the fact that they cannot sunbathe topless in most places in the U.S.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toplessness#Topless_beaches
Interesting post though - who wudda thunk it?
Posted by: perspectivehere | March 21, 2009 at 12:58 PM
DOn't think ordinary Chinese have the kind of money to buy a powerful personal computer. ANd don't think any stores would like to keep those expensive powerful personal computers in stock.
Posted by: Jeff | March 21, 2009 at 01:00 PM
It looks though the author wants a workstation. Of course, he won't find it by just walking into any computer stores, and I doubt any ordinary Wang in a Lenovo store knows what a workstation is. Seriously, can you find a powerful workstation in your neighborhood BestBuy or CircuitCity?
If he really has some RMB to burn, try online store, say 360buy.com (No. 1 online electronics store in China, haven't you heard?), use keyword "工作站", like this:
http://www.360buy.com/products/670-671-673-3643-0-0-0-0-0-0-1-1-1.html
It's just a story about a clueless Laowai can't find his way in China, yet he somehow finds it's the fault of evil CCP suppressing the freedom of ordinary Chinese. And Tim seriously thought of it as an example that he puts it on his blog. Funny how things goes...
Posted by: anonymous | March 21, 2009 at 02:21 PM
Sorry, but I think the letter writer's suspicion does not make a lot of sense. Why would the government be concerned about someone owning a slightly more powerful computer? Current cheap computers have enough power to do any of the things that might threaten the regime, and the cheap computers a year or two from now will be as powerful as the current expensive ones he cannot buy. And since all the parts are freely available in the major cities, anyone with minimal technical skills could build their own high-end machine.
I think it is more likely this is due to the company showcasing nice machines on their site and then doing a bait and switch. And if your letter writer's opinion of the regime depends on whether he can buy a slightly more powerful preassembled computer, then you should probably disregard his views on this issue anyway.
Posted by: TS | March 21, 2009 at 02:46 PM
I did a quick Baidu search using keyword "工作站"(workstation).
http://www.baidu.com/s?wd=%B9%A4%D7%F7%D5%BE
Result #3 is "【工作站】今日报价-工作站大全 -IT168"
Open the website, there are TONS of workstation, different brands, different distributors, AND PRICE QUOTES. You do notice though, almost all the distributors are in Shanghai or Beijing, which is natural if you think of it.
So Tim, call them, say you are a Laowai, and you want a powerful HP workstation XW8600(Intel Xeon E5410*2/2GB/250GB). Ask them, ask them if CCP allows a foreigner in China get hold of a "subversive" weapon.
Posted by: anonymous | March 21, 2009 at 02:53 PM
Exactly how powerful a computer are we talking about here? My friend just ordered a few Intel Core i7 from Wewegg's China site. They shipped in a week.
Posted by: meh | March 21, 2009 at 03:14 PM
I bet anonymous is right, this guy must be a clueless laowai who couldn't find his way around.
It's funny that with all the free press in the West, you would think that people are immune to brainwashing. Yet the first thing came to this guy's mind is that the evil commies are out to get him. I watched a program on phoenix tv the other day about the situation of South Koreans in Beijing. A lady in the program said the first time she visited Tiananmen square, she got really nervous and her heart started pounding when she saw a group of kids wearing red scarves. Decades of fear mongering of communism worked, I guess. Sigh...
Posted by: Computer Geek | March 21, 2009 at 03:33 PM
How does not being able to order the computer you want have anything to do with freedom (or lack thereof) in China? Yeah, it is an evil plot by the CCP to deny powerful computers to the Chinese people and foreign residents of China. Down with the evil Chinese government!!
Posted by: Pffefer | March 21, 2009 at 03:48 PM
"I can't vouch that his experience is the same across China, but it wouldn't surprise me if it were"
One thing that Tim and western "journalists" of his ilk do very well is generalizing and extrapolating. Bravo!
Posted by: Pffefer | March 21, 2009 at 03:51 PM
Is it 10,000 yuan or 100,000 yuan? I can't believe that a 10,000 yuan comuter can be that powerful that the government wants prevent people from buying.
It's sad to see that, after so many years on the ground, a respectable journalist like Tim is still so deeply immersed in stereotyped thinking that he regards this letter writer's story as representative of the restricitons on people buying things in China, rather than that this mass store in an inland Chinese city may just really not carry that product, as it's not profitable to do so.
A 10,000 yuan Lenovo computer cannot be a "powerful" computer. I feel a bit surprised that a "filmmaker" has to make do with a 10,000 yuan computer, as if that's a lot of money in China. But I can totally understand that a mass store in an inland city like Zhengzhou does not carry this kind of workstations. For those things you should go to a bougique store or go online. Think about what ordinary customers in Zhengzhou will do with a computer. They play games, watch movies, and chat online. They don't need a 10,000 yuan desktop for these things. With 10,000 they'll go for a laptop. So, someone please help this clueless laowai get his computer. It's entirely legal and possible.
It's really sad that a journalist that has been working in China for years will still buy such kind of stories. This is just an inconsequential blog post. but think about all those newspaper stories that may have been produced this way all these years. It just saddens me.
Posted by: Chinese people are brainwashed but they know it; Americans are brainwashed but they don't know it | March 21, 2009 at 05:36 PM
Meant to say *Newegg.com.cn*
Posted by: meh | March 21, 2009 at 05:42 PM
Reminds me of a widely publicized story last summer of how a "free Tibet" activist's online post about visiting Tibet must have been hacked and altered by Chinese security agents, because the writing of that post was sub-par. It turns out that no one hacked her post, but her writing was sub-par (this revelation, however, was not widely publicized).
Here is the full story:
http://www.blackandwhitecat.org/2008/08/07/the-guardian-insults-tibet-protester/
The moral is, don't assume too much please, especially if you're a journalist trying to uncover the "truth".
Posted by: Chinese people are brainwashed but they know it; Americans are brainwashed but they don't know it | March 21, 2009 at 06:09 PM
Wow, take it easy on the laowai. Zhengzhou is not a small city, with 7M people. Maybe they should have access to 10k RMB computers. Not everyone lives in Beijing or Shanghai. Maybe it's better to correct their perception of China by not ripping them apart?
Posted by: Don Tai | March 21, 2009 at 08:36 PM
I live in Guangzhou and have purhcased a "power" computer from Dell-China after my previous Lenovo computer of five years became irrepairable. This computer was similar to my Dell computer in the fact that it was top-of-the-line at the time I purchased it in China.
I understand that this is part of a "blog," but don't understand how such an unfounded story can be published on a site that is passed off as news.
Furthermore, it's offputting that a person who has the title of "Beijing bureau chief" can write that this story wouldn't "surprise" him. Then I read the rest of Mr. Johnson's stories and realize that he's simply one of those foreigners in China still going through culture shock, yet feel that he is an expert trying to explain a country and a people in his own ethnocentric point of view - yet with the air of superiority. Shame on McClatchy for letting Tim Johnson write for them. I would feel the readers here deserve more than somebody who does no more than generalize and spread unfounded rumors just to make a country look bad.
Posted by: BiggyZ | March 21, 2009 at 10:32 PM
"Wow, take it easy on the laowai. Zhengzhou is not a small city, with 7M people. Maybe they should have access to 10k RMB computers. Not everyone lives in Beijing or Shanghai. "
Of course not everyone lives in Beijing or Shanghai. But the moral of the story is, even you are in Lhasa, Tibet or Urumqi, Xinjiang, you can search the stuff in Beidu(国事问百度），call up a computer reseller in Shanghai, ask for a price, and if you want it, wire him the money and get the workstation delivered to your doorstep in a short period of time. That's how B2C is done in China nowadays. Yet this guy, and Tim if I may, still have a outdated understanding of Chinese market. More twisted is if you can't get what you want, well, it's that all powerful CCP to blame. You know, every bad thing in China stems from the "INSTITUTION". (体制问题）
Posted by: anonymous | March 21, 2009 at 10:38 PM
Don Tai is right. Please be kind to the laowai's.
Hope the frustrated customer try some of the suggestions here: go online or get one assembled at one of those Beijing or Shangahi shops (how about the Zhengzhou nerds?) then report on the experience.
Perhaps we might find an equally interesting story about the Chinese computer nerds who can build just about anything from spec at incredibly low price.
Take this story along and I am sure they will see it as a challenge to show how smart and enterprising they are.
Posted by: Lee | March 21, 2009 at 10:45 PM
Sounds like one of those blame the government for my incompetence stories, hope he gets his workstation :(
Posted by: Federic G. | March 22, 2009 at 12:25 AM
HAHAHA so stupid. "Filmmakers" are the only kind of people who needs slightly more powerful computers and can't handle them.
Posted by: nichtich | March 22, 2009 at 03:26 AM
I have a lot of issues with the premise of this post. First, I do not put it past the Chinese government to restrict average consumers from making certain purchases, but this case just doesn't sound right. 1) The computer that your friend is trying to purchase does not, in anyway sound "extremely" powerful at all. I do not doubt that he was told that that certain model was unavailable, but the fact that he is a foreigner in China (assuming he is not a fluent Chinese speaker) I can think of a lot of reasons why the model he wanted is unavailable in China, even if it is made by a Chinese company and fabricated domestically. 2) All the components that make-up your friends "extremely" powerful computer are easy to purchase on the component market in China by anyone.
Again, I am sure that China does want to restrict people from obtaining powerful computers, but I have a feeling your friends issue is in his ability to purchase the computer he wants, and not that it is being restricted by the government.
Posted by: Jason Barber | March 22, 2009 at 04:09 AM
Interesting story. I feel that it's all a bit silly on the part of whoever puts such policies on large computer retails in place. If indeed such polices are in place.
What's to stop someone who wants a powerful computer from just buying a few smaller computers and clustering them? that's what most super computers are anyway.
Posted by: James Coombs | March 22, 2009 at 07:06 PM
^ Obviously didn't read the previous comments here, which have basically debunked the "interesting" story.
Posted by: *$(*(*$& | March 22, 2009 at 10:24 PM
Beijing ren here. I have a Lenovo laptop I bought last year that cost 12,000 kuai.
It's impossible that you can buy a "powerful" computer with just 10,000.
It's not China's fault in this case. It's the laowai's crippling paranoia. I feel kinda sorry for his Chinese wife who's not able to call him out on this one.
And Mr. Tim Johnson? This blog is why you're not working for the New York Times.
Posted by: wooddoo | March 22, 2009 at 10:49 PM