Altered picture opens eyes
If you watch the Chinese state TV news, you might get the impression that Chinese officials have more stamina than anyone else in the world. Almost every evening here, news bulletins show rows and rows of officials faithfully listening to long speeches made by Communist Party leaders. The TV pictures show the officials carefully noting down their leaders' words for further study later on. None of the officials ever shows any trace of boredom whatsoever - no matter how long or how dreary the speech they're listening to. Compare this to the House of Lords in the UK where for many years the standard listening position bore a striking resemblance to the dozing position.
But occasionally there's a bit of a slip. Have a look at these two versions of a single picture taken at a conference on commercial scams held in China's southern province of Yunnan.
The first version shows the man in the the blue t-shirt with his eyes comfortably shut. Look closely at the man to his right - he may have his eyes closed as well. This picture was originally put up on an official propaganda noticeboard. It's not the kind of thing you tend to see in the official media (you can get into serious trouble here for sleeping during a conference.) The authorities were informed. This embarrassing version was quickly replaced by the new, improved version reprinted below it. This time the gentlemen's eyes are open - painted open, say Chinese bloggers. It's one way to look interested.
I’m 
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~28~RS~)
Comments
Sign in or register to comment.
The joys of Photoshop.
At least the pictures were published, and on a mainstream private sector Chinese news website, one with a global reach outside China. STNN is part of the Hong Kong based Sing Tao Daily newsgroup.
Complain about this comment
You can't be serious. No offense to those featured in the photos but they still looked a bit restless.
Thanks for the light reading, James. Never read a blog reporting from China before and this seems to be an enlightening one.
Complain about this comment
A very amateur photoshop practice - the opened eyes look very fake !
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
In rows of participants in the long meeting, there must be some people sleepy or absent of mind. It's just the choice of the photographer to take those with eyes wide open or closed.
PS: It's really a dull topic. Why is James so interested on such affairs in China?
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Funny. This reminds me of my old school days in China.
Listening to long speeches begins from primary school. I believe many of us are trained to have eyes wide open while allowing our mind to wander freely...
Complain about this comment
Haha, that's so funny.
Shows how regulated the internet is. Some people would be surprised that this is not taken down.
Complain about this comment
Just wondering. Why are some of the posters being unwelcomely critical?
Complain about this comment
If you grew up in China and never learnt to sleep with your eyes open then you're either a slow learner or a future party secretary!
There have been pictures on the internet of People's representatives dozing during speeches at the National Congress every year so nothing new here.
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
To poster #9 (Ernaid):
Because certain Chinese nationalists believe they are the best in the world, and operate a you-make-fun-of-us-you-die principal.
Complain about this comment
Well, what do you know
Caught sleeping during a conference is indeed embarassing for public officials, but hey, it's nothing new. Celebrities in Hollywood have been pictured in hundreds of variations of more embarassing situations.
The point here is that the Chinese gov't cares so much for its public image that its reaction to this photo stupidly caught the attention of foreign reporters like James, who can smell "cover-up!" 10 miles away.
Nice job. If the CCP wants good PR, they should invite Paris Hilton's PR secretary over to China.
Complain about this comment
It's so funny to see the Chinese local leaders' eyes "openned" on the website; but hey James, don't you think it's even more funny to see the UK national leader's teeth "whitened" on his Christmas card? If you don't, then come to have a look at these picitures. Happy New Year! ; )
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1095349/Brown-Blairs-fake-Christmas-cards-Gordons-artificial-snow-Tonys-whitened-teeth.html
Complain about this comment
I recently chaired a conference in Shanghai and I could see several people openly asleep. Clearly im not as scary as the government!
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
"To poster #9 (Ernaid):
Because certain Chinese nationalists believe they are the best in the world, and operate a you-make-fun-of-us-you-die principal."
How did this message pass your regulations? I've seen those banned for less.
Anyway, they are critical because they know their country better. I would react the same way if I were belittled and patronised (although it is the wrong reaction in some/most cases).
Also, too many people are missing the point. Everyone falls asleep. James isn't criticising the person sleeping, he's pointing out how silly it is that they have to paint eyes onto their eyelids to give a more positive tone to the image.
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Hi James,
Nice light hearted read here. A very poor Photoshop attempt indeed! I've been following your blog for some time now and it's been a very enlightening read I must say. Hope to hear more from you soon.
Keep up the good work!
Complain about this comment
A picture of somebody having his eyes closed cannot prove he was asleep. It could be the picture was taken at the moment he closed his eyes.
Writing about this is very, very silly, indeed. It just makes me think your whole purpose of being in China is to distort, to damage Chinese image whenever, wherever,and as much as you can.
Complain about this comment
For some reason the link to the Chinese page wants to access my clipboard, hope it's nothing sinister. Being from China that would be ridiculous :?
Complain about this comment
James:
I think in any situation things could be altered but; these civil servants maybe tired and getting 'sleeping' thoughts....
~Dennis Junior~
Complain about this comment
With the recession, the pirates off the gulf of Aden, war in Gaza, and many more major world news stories which china has to be connected to, you do a blog on sleeping chinese officials?
To poster 12,
so any one who criticise Reynolds must be a crazed chinese in frenzied nationalist rant? I think you might be operating under the principle all-chinese-are-nationalist-drones-and-the-bbc-is-the-example-of-journalism-everyone-should-follow.
Complain about this comment
"you can get into serious trouble here for sleeping in a conference“
This is not true. As said by galezhang in #10, pictures of representatives dozing off during national congress are seen on the internet every year and none of them got into any trouble.
BTW, you've been gone for an entire month without any advance notice. I posted a comment asking if everything was OK with you, and that comment was removed because it "broke the house rules". Let's see if this one will also be removed.
Complain about this comment
Did anyone notice the comments in after the story that pointed to a picture of the Malaysian prime minister (and deputy at the back) ... http://aspirasimahasiswa.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/pak_lah_tidur.jpg
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
yup funny. Chinese blogger wrote in their blog first den BBC's James translated and posted as his "report". (:
western media n journalists rock!
Complain about this comment
So what's happened to the officials that were photographed asleep? Are they still alive and in their jobs? Are they still alive and out of their jobs but in hard labour camps? Or doesn't anyone know because they've vanished off the face of the earth?
Complain about this comment
it's common to have a long speech during a conference in China. I think it's easy for people to get bored.
we should damp this kind of speech out!
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Hahahahaha! luckybambooo you are a genius. I laugh my head off. See that's what we called a joke.
IF you don't find this funny, then we don't find James' post funny either.
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
The official may have his eyes closed,but I am sure he is listening.
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
I think the Chinese learned this trick from the BBC, which is very good at doctoring its TV documentaries.
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
In response to tclim38, post number 20, I was also going to point out that those two in the photo are not necessarily asleep, it could just be that both of them blinked simultaneously. Perhaps unlikely, but plausible.
However I don't think James writing about this is silly, what is silly is the fact that the picture was edited (poorly) so that their eyes looked like they were open. It's very silly to think that there are people whose job is to touch up every kind of government related photo to make it seem picture perfect, and that's the same no matter which government is doing it (i.e. Gordon Brown's teeth, even then no amount of photoshop magic will give him a nice smile).
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
A typical example of a regime that although aware of the power of the media, is still clumsy in its efforts to control it. To be fair, it is more common than we think (see for example:
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/research/digitaltampering/ ). Woe the day when the critical ones among us fail to notice Big Brother's manipulations....
Complain about this comment
Quote #14, luckybambooo - but hey James, don't you think it's even more funny to see the UK national leader's teeth "whitened" on his Christmas card? If you don't, then come to have a look at these picitures. Happy New Year! ; )
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1095349/Brown-Blairs-fake-Christmas-cards-Gordons-artificial-snow-Tonys-whitened-teeth.html
Luckybambooo,
Hahahahaha! I also laugh my head off. Hahahahaha!
Complain about this comment
I come from China, been studying in UK for over 7 years now. Initially one of my cultural shock is the freedom of political view, and speech here.
It's absolutely true and realistic when you pointed out in China, everyday on the news you see numerous meaningless officials meeting, rather than saying meeting, I shall discribe a large groups of officials sitting there to listen speeches because no one ever speak out their real opinion. In contrast, UK's political system is transparent, and its always very entertaining to watch the Wednesday Parliment meeting seeing different parties revealing each other's weak point.
Complain about this comment
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
#43 - "I come from China, been studying in UK for over 7 years now. Initially one of my cultural shock is the freedom of political view, and speech here."
You should also be shocked ... despite 'freedom of political view and speech..', they still managed to send troops to destroy and occupy other countries and to kill innocent people for no good reason at all.
Complain about this comment
View these comments in RSS