18 Sep 2008 1009H

Excuse me?

Probably being baited here, but, as a resident of a Chinatown, I kind of take offense when I read this sort of thing:

Along with shopping malls, petrol stations and branches of McDonalds, the old China Town renders all of our cities boring and alike. It is nothing more than restaurant streets and fake traditional buildings representing a kitsch image of contemporary China, with no real life inside. It is a historical theme park that poisons the urban space. There must be a shock therapy to remedy this situation.

Unsure about the translation I looked to the Chinese copy, which doesn’t depart from the arrogance of this statement, my emphasis added:

散布在全世界各个角落的中国城，和那里的商场，加油站，麦当劳一样，如同毒素，使得每个城市变得千篇一律，无聊透顶。而中国城里没完没了的餐厅，一成不变的仿古建筑，附会着西方世界对中国的僵化想象。这里没有真实的生活，如同这个国家遗留在异乡的一座座陈旧的主题公园，毒害着城市空间和人们的理解力。我们要想复活就必须以毒攻毒!

Using poison to fight poison. Typical. Just typical. All that results in is just more poison. And haven’t we had enough of being the sick man of Asia?

And that’s 唐人街, 北老, 不是 “中国城.” 你不喜歡, 哪麼回去大陸巴, 仆街!

Ah well. We don’t need any more junk Made In China.

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