Working in China

I never thought that the portion of my Watson in China would be a never-ending stream of disappointments. I have learned a lot here, but doing much more than talking to a handful of the leaders in China's battle against HIV/AIDS has been troublesome. I learned less directly about the epidemic (as it is largely not known by those in the field anyway) and more about how portions of the Chinese government are surely in part responsible for tying the hands of the Chinese Center for Disease Control, local, national, and international NGOs.

We have some of the same problems in the US; however, the almighty Public Security Bureau - police - and Chinese FBI equivalent seem to run far more rampant in this land. I learned in a Chinese anthropology course at Reed taught by the venerable Charlene Makley the cultural concept of guanxi (关系). It could be seen as networks or connections but that is an inadequate and reductionist definition. The end result of guanxi in my work is that nepotism or other social "obligations" take precedence over allowing HIV/AIDS organizations to do the work that MUST be done. Another cultural hindrance the Chinese must rectify with HIV, a disease inextricably linked to social stigma, is admitting they have a problem and thus "losing face."

This concept is called mianzi or lian (面子or 臉 ) - one of a perception of moralilty and one is of prestige, but both can be extended from the personal to national level.Guanxi, mianzi, and lian are either obstacles OR great tools depending on how HIV is viewed within a social context in China. Eliminating parts of other cultures to mimic a Western model would certainly make it easier for Westerners to work in this society though it is unethical and ultimately likely to be more trouble than its worth. Changing part of a culture, especially things embedded like guanxi, mianzi, and lian - is impossible.

As it stands now, a province or municipality loses mianzi and lian if it admits that it has a high rate of HIV or even if it has a high proportion of HIV-related organizations registered. The same things happened during Mao's Great Leap Forward when provinces inaccurately reported the amount of grain produced if it was below the target set by the national government. Oh, at that time there were also periodic cullings of people who didn't live up to the standards set by the Chinese Communist Party, but the comparison is still analogous. The end result of misreporting? The deaths, by starvation, of 10% of people in some provinces. Many survived by fleeing to Hong Kong and Macau, then British and Portuguese holdings, or eating the corpses of the deceased dead. Unchecked HIV would not cause those same problems, though as a nation China would lose much face internationally if it's epidemics go unchecked, given the level of resources the government has at it's disposal. Learning from your mistakes is a good thing, China, I promise. Let's take a look back, take a look forward, and do what needs to be done.

I'm arriving in Johannesburg on November 29th - I can't wait!

Working

My anti-AIDS Superhero outfit. I'm trying to fly, apparently.
-FCUK Safely Shirt
-Dual Anti-AIDS Propaganda wristbands.
-Three Red Ribbons
-Innumerable condoms.