Foreigner Crackdown (was "Members in Beijing, ...)

yeah, the fact that he was black I'm betting had a lot to do with any escalation of the situation

sorry, just realized how that comment might be perceived - what I meant is the fact that he was black prob made the Chinese hooligans quicker to turn to violence than if it had been a white guy. I think Zero's 'one false move' is probably right.

For those literate in Chinese among us, here's a kind of interesting article about the whole foreigner debate from the Xinmin Weekly.

http://news.sina.com.cn/c/sd/2012-06-27/131424666950.shtml

It is incredibly long and I stopped reading after about the third page but it does make some interesting points and some of it rings a bit true. Don't be put off by the first half of the first page, which does start off in a kind of predictably irritating. I didn't finish it so I'm not sure what point they ultimately end up making but there are parts that are worth a read anyhow.

Perhaps not directly related but a reminder to be careful out there:

Foreign National stabbed to death in Beijing

Wednesday afternoon, an American was stabbed and killed in a hutong near Dashilan. According to information released last night on Weibo by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, 62-year-old Howard Thomas Mills was attacked by a 35-year-old man from Heilongjiang Province who had previously been arrested on robbery charges.

Police have not yet confirmed the motive for the crime, but with the recent increase of violent incidents in the city it's important for expats to be aware and mindful of personal safety.

In case you'd like to read it, here's the full text of the police press release (in Chinese).