China Get Crushed by Turkey, Advance to Round of 16

Posted 03 Sep 2010 — by admin
Category Sports
Chinese men's basketball team

photo courtesy of Sina Sports

From so much bad news the other day to finally some good news.  The Chinese men’s team has struggled throughout the competition, though they got luck and were able to advance through the back door.  Against Russia, China jumped out to an early lead like they’d been doing all tournament long, but just like in the other games, let up in the later quarters.  The two sides went back and forth for much of the game, some hot three point shooting from Sun Yue and Wang Shipeng quickly killed a 7 point deficit only to see stupid play put Russia on an 11-0 run.  Due to circumstances I can’t explain (though I only know it has something to do with the Ivory Coast beating Puerto Rico), China knew before their match against Turkey that they would be advancing, so they rested the starters.  The result, in a match where Turkey also rested most of its starters, was a crushing 87-40 loss for the Chinese side.

China has its work cut out for them against Lithuania, who went undefeated in the group stages, including a hard fought win over Spain.  The Chinese side features a number of younger players, but has relied heavily on veterans like Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhizhi, and Wang Shipeng.    The biggest problem for China so far has been sloppy play, something American coach Bob Donewald is going to want to work on going into the Asian Games (where they’ll be missing Yi).  Against Puerto Rico and Russia, China was in the game late, but stupid turnovers led to losses in both games.  China’s success, the little they had, was always based on solid outside shooting and  good fundamental play, ways to make up for their lack of skill against stronger teams.  So far in this competition, these past strengths have been weaknesses for the team, if they have any shot at Lithuania, they’ll need to work out these tactical issues.

When it comes to branding, its interesting to see the role the Chinese play at these World Championships.  While Nike dominates, outfitting almost half of the teams (including China), Chinese brand Peak comes in 2nd, with 5 teams, while Li Ning is tied with Adidas in 3rd, with 2 teams each.

More good news, China continues doing well at the SportsAccord Combat Games, with Zou Shiming winning easily yesterday, and Peng Shuai won her 2nd Round match at the US Open.  As a soccer fan, I’m really excited about tonight’s matchup in Zhengzhou between China and Iran.  These two sides have a long history and while it doesn’t rise to the level of the Japan or Korea grudge matches, this side is probably China’s 3rd biggest rival.

No league soccer this weekend (both local and international) due to a 10 day international break, so a boring sports weekend, though the basketball world championships continue and for Americans, its time to recognize the arrival of fall as college football (that’s 橄榄球 to all you Chinese) begins this weekend.  If you’re desperate for some soccer/football locally, 2nd division sides Beijing Baxi and Beijing Institute of Technology play Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, respectively.  Too bad for the great university student story that is BIT, they look to be going down so get out and support them.

Tough Times for Chinese Sports

Posted 01 Sep 2010 — by admin
Category Sports

If you’re a Chinese sports fan, its been a difficult couple of days.  It all started over the weekend when Chinese soccer experienced a few more black eyes.  Embarassing refereeing and horrible behavior from players and coaches were on display both in Shanghai and Xian, leading some to call for more scrutiny of referees by the CFA.  So far this year, the CFA has tended to side with the referees, only fair it would seem, but some shameful missed calls and undeservedly harsh made calls need further review.  The scariest incident of the weekend took place in the lower divisions after local fans in Chengdu were angered by their side’s result, they started stoning the visiting side Shenyang Dongjin’s bus causing the glass to break and fragments to enter one player’s eye.  The player now risks losing sight in that eye, showing that bad fan behavior isn’t just young people letting off steam, it has serious consequences.  I’ve been talking about security for away fans for a long time, but after incidents like this (or the stoning of the Japanese bus outside of Worker’s Stadium in 2004), its long been apparent that more security is required for the players as well.  Unfortunately, the CFA has pretty much ignored this over the years, fining the Chengdu side won’t do anything to deter their fans from such behavior, playing behind closed doors wouldn’t be much of a punishment (Chengdu’s pretty much secured promotion), the CFA needs to figure something out.  Hopefully they will take it more seriously and make some changes in the offseason.

The Chinese men’s basketball team is currently involved in the World Championships in Turkey and while Americans don’t pay much attention to international basketball, the rest of the world watches keenly.  Last night, China jumped out to a quick lead on Puerto Rico, but couldn’t get things done, losing a tight one, 84-76, despite Yi Jianlian leading the way with 24 points and 7 rebounds.  After the loss, China sits in 5th place in group play, still having to face the top two teams in the group, Turkey (9/2) and Russia (later today).  The top 4 sides qualify to the round of 16, unless China can come up with a big win or two, its not looking good for the post Yao Ming era of Chinese basketball.

Unfortunately, its not only the men who are struggling.  Li Na went into the US Open as the highest ranked Chinese player entering a major tournament ever, seeded number 8.  The pressure must have been too much for Li as she became the first seeded woman to lose, going out 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 against Kateryna Bondarenko.  It’s not all bad news for tennis fans though, Peng Shuai and Zheng Jie both advanced.

The Chinese women’s volleyball, long the nation’s heroes for bringing home the first major international team sports victory, has also hit hard times lately.  At the World Grand Prix, which recently ended in Ningbo, the Chinese team was pounded by the US, Brazil, and Italy to finish a disappointing 4th.

The disappointing state of affairs of Chinese sports as of late doesn’t bode well for the upcoming Asian Games, to be held in Guangzhou in a few months.  Though perhaps the lesser, Asia only competition and home cooking is exactly what some of these Chinese athletes need.

For those looking for a bright spot and lovers of the sweet science, the SportAccord Combat Games are taking place in Beijing this week, the opening ceremony included performances by Jackie Chan and Jet Li and the Chinese team currently leads the medal count.  While the competition consists of a diverse range of fighting sports including muay thai, sumo, and wushu, for me, the boxing is the big draw, including a chance to see Zou Shiming, one of China’s Olympic champions, for under RMB50.

Maison Boulud (布鲁宫法餐厅)

Posted 31 Aug 2010 — by admin
Category Restaurants

Last time I reviewed a restaurant it was talking about donkey burgers, today it’s Daniel burgers. When discussing the top western restaurant in Beijing, or in China as a whole, Maison Boulud always has a place in the conversation. Over the course of many visits, even through their highly publicized management change, the restaurant has maintained the highest of standards and offers a unique dining experience that few spots around the country can match. The key is in the ingredients, always fresh and of unparalleled quality, unusual in a city where the fakes are famous.

shrimp appetizer

the Asian influence is easy to spot in this prawn appetizer

I stopped in not too long ago to sample their RMB188 lunch menu, a 3 course meal that sounds like a great deal and a more accessible chance to see what the kitchen can put out.  Plus, if you haven’t been to New York or Vegas and want to sample the famed “Daniel burger”, it’s only featured on Maison Boulud’s lunch menu.  With the exception of the burger (which you’ll need to add RMB35 to your meal price), the menu changes every few weeks, offering a choice of  pork/chicken, fish, or pasta entrees.  Beyond the appetizer, main course, and dessert, you can expect to get at least one amuse bouche as well as petit fours.

well cooked chicken offering

The appetizer offerings were heavily leaning toward seafood, a shrimp “egg roll” (picture 1) served with some pickled vegetables over a tapenade or a smoked salmon salad with asparagus, though a cold soup was also on offer.  I’d typically jump at a smoked salmon offering as its so rare to find a quality, non-frozen variety on offer in Beijing, but the offer of a sample from mrs. modern had me jumping for the shrimp, a good call as they were cooked perfectly and the “egg roll” wrapping offered a nice crispy crunch to the dish.  Of the main courses, I sampled a variety of them, with the chicken dish (shown in photo 2) and the curried fish offering both excellently prepared if a little underwhelming.

the daniel burger

The overwhelming winner of the meal and the item that won everyone over was the Daniel burger.  It’s not something you’d want to eat (or should eat) everyday as its a major cholesterol bomb, but its worth the attack to your organs once in awhile.  High quality sirloin stuffed with braised short ribs and a nice hunk of foie gras make up what has to be the city’s best burger and is well worth the additional price.  It’s a dining experience that’s almost sensual and though it looks small, it packs a punch (and not just to your heart), you will be full after this and will have a hard time dealing with the dessert that follows.

Service here is absolutely perfect, there can be few complaints, other than the fact this spot introduces the utterly annoying “sparkling or still” water question to the Beijing dining scene.  I’ve always found spots that do that extremely pretentious and don’t understand the need from a customer service perspective to poach a little more money from your guests (though I fully understand it from the business perspective).

I’m a huge fan of this spot and its dinner menu is amazing, showing the true skill of the kitchen.  The French classics menu is a great choice from time to time when you want those really traditional bistro dishes that are so often screwed up.  Unfortunately, during lunch it seems like you’re often in the hands of the second teamers and while all the service touches and quality ingredients are still there, the dishes don’t have the same flair.  For more photos, check out my flickr set on this restaurant.

Maison Boulud – 布鲁宫法餐厅

23 Qianmen Dong Dajie (前门懂大街23号)
Reservations Recommended
¥700/person (¥215/person at lunch)

pros: high quality ingredients with both classic and modern menu options served in an amazing setting (but don’t go for lunch unless you want the burger)
cons: the incredibly annoying “sparkling or still” question, lunch lacks dinner’s flair
北京东交民巷30-2号
dinner’s flair

CSL Matchday 21 Review – Qingdao Jonoon

Posted 31 Aug 2010 — by admin
Category Beijing Guoan

青岛中能  0 - 0 北京国安

When the team can’t be arsed to play, its sometimes difficult getting myself up to writing this blog.  I’m not a fair weather fan, far from it in fact, and while I can accept underperforming, its hard to take straight up not trying.  Guoan suffered a difficult midweek loss against Shandong, a match that pretty much killed Beijing’s title hopes, but a strong team, a good manager would have gotten the players to suck it up and be ready for the next opponent.  Instead, on Sunday their heads and hearts weren’t in the match and it showed, as the champions weren’t able to score against the worst team in the league.  After a draw like this one, its time to take a long, hard look at the manager and the players, figuring out who is going to be in charge next year and who is worth keeping around.

The draw, combined with Shandong’s victory yesterday, put an end on any hopes we have at the title.  Guoan sit 12 points behind Shandong with 9 matches to play, a virtually impossible margin to make up, though they can at least try to when Shandong comes to Gongti in 2 weeks.  At this point, it may be time to start giving the youngsters more time and auditioning players for next year.  While we’re far from having an Asia spot wrapped up as there are 7 teams within 5 points of the 2 available spots, Guoan should be okay in the end.  Plus, the Asian Champions League just doesn’t have the same cachet (or monetary advantages) that the European version does.  One of the reasons Shanghai is where they are is their failure to qualify for the Champions League, while Changchun and Henan struggle.

As for the rest of the league, its pretty much time to announce that it’s over.  As much as I hate saying this with 9 games left, Shandong pretty much has the title wrapped up after crushing Jiangsu.  Shanghai only managed a draw against Dalian, giving Luneng a 6 point advantage.  While Shanghai have a number of difficult games coming up, Shandong finish their season facing off against the relegation sides, before hosting Shanghai.  Both teams have big games when the league resumes after the international break, with Guoan hosting Shandong and Liaoning welcoming Shanghai.

Time to play out the season, watch the Asia and relegation races, and get ready for next year.  As the weeks go by and summer turns to fall, we’ll see how many of the true fans keep coming out to Gongti when the team is playing for nothing more than pride.

CSL Matchday 7 Review – Shandong Luneng

Posted 27 Aug 2010 — by admin
Category Beijing Guoan

山东鲁能 1 - 0 北京国安

Argh…F@)#)%!@#…Sorry I’m not more expressive right now, but last night’s loss was a tough one to take.  It’s in line with so many other matches we’ve played this year, unusual lineup choices, lack of heart, bad defending, stupid substitutions, and bad luck.

I was a little surprised to see Wang Xiaolong start last night considering he hadn’t played for months, but he did a passable job, even helping start a few early attacks.  It was his setup that saw Martinez clear through the box in only the 2nd minute, his shot across the box dribbled just past the post.  It was a sign of things to come, the failure to go 1-nil up would be followed up by a number of blown chances the rest of the night.

With all my talk about the likes of Antar and Han Peng scaring me, it was an old nemesis, the machine gunning, arrow shooting Li Jinyu who put the home team in the lead when he got on the end of a beautiful, curving free kick and knocked it in 15 minutes on.  It was blown coverage by Joel Griffiths that led to the goal, he failed to mark Li tight enough, but credit where credits due, it was an excellent Shandong goal.

Luneng didn’t let up at that point, continuing to pressure the Guoan goal, though as always Yang Zhi was able to turn them back.  When they went into the locker room at halftime, it didn’t look like Guoan had much chance of pulling out a draw.

The pressure continued, an Antar header, a Wang Yongpo shot, all handled by Yang to keep it down to a 1 goal deficit.  Yan Xiangchuang was brought on for Wang Xiaolong in the 55th minute to get things started and set up Zhu Yifan with a decent scoring chance minutes later, but Shandong’s keeper dealt with it.  In the 60th minute Du Wenhui was brought on and as often happens in that situation, Guoan’s attacking opportunities ground to a halt.  They had one final chance toward the end of the match, Yan Xiangchuang ripped a shot off a corner kick that banged off the crossbar, one final bit of bad luck that guaranteed a Shandong victory.

There are still 10 matches left in the season, including one more head to head against Shandong, though they now command a 10 point lead over us, that’s making up 4 matches in 10 games, not an easy thing to do.  Even if Luneng starts to falter, Guoan can’t afford another loss and still have to face all the title contenders and rival Tianjin through the final 10 matches.  Things aren’t looking good for Guoan, I’m not closing the coffin of their title defense, but I’m preparing it.  At this point we can only win and take care of our own business, hoping Shandong slips up, it might be time to change the focus to getting into Asia rather than winning the league.  Depressing.

The Invisible Man Not So Invisible

Posted 27 Aug 2010 — by admin
Category Uncategorized

I write this blog anonymously.  I’ve been told plenty of times that doing so means my posts aren’t as credible as other writers who do so under their own names.  I’ve heard that a lot lately, especially after my recent critique of an article and I understand and accept that.

Reality is that 95% of my posts on this blog are about Chinese sports and food, specifically the Beijing restaurant scene.  Writing on these topics doesn’t require knowing who I am or what I do.  My writing on sports is mainly about the Chinese Super League, my credibility comes from the fact I’ve been watching, playing, and/or coaching soccer pretty much my entire life.  I’ve been following the CSL since it s  tarted and before that followed Jia A since the mid 90s.  I watch as many matches a week as I can and have only missed a couple Guoan matches over the past 3 years.  I write this blog as a fan, it hasn’t gotten me any closer to the players or the club, it’s a hobby, it’s a chance to talk football with a small, but dedicated community of English speaking Chinese soccer followers.  My credibility has nothing to do with my name, it has everything to do with my opinions, if you watched the match and I watched the match and you think my opinions are off, then you wouldn’t read me.  If you didn’t watch the match, you could just go to Sina and see the highlights or you can come here and labor through my match reports.

The same can be said about food.  Everyone has opinions on food, on restaurants, and like me, everyone’s been eating their whole lives.  I love food, I eat out a lot, but beyond a few culinary classes and devouring (no pun intended) every cook or chef book I can get my hands on, most of my knowledge comes from eating everyday.  I don’t have a stake in any restaurant and have no reason to see one succeed or fail, beyond continued opportunities to enjoy meals at the ones I like.  My credibility comes from my reviews being informative, unique, and matching my readers’ tastes.  If I say a restaurant is great and most readers think it sucks, they probably won’t come back, it’s that simple.

For these topics, who I am matters little, but I understand that all changes when I’m writing about business or law or the environment, where if I can prove an expertise from my work background or schooling, I deserve to be listened to more than someone else.  The reality is that all that is meaningless, if my opinion holds water with those who visit, people will come and read me.  I did say something offhand and inappropriate on twitter the other day, that I might not have said if my name was attached to it and I apologized for it, but there’s nothing I’ve said so far on this blog that I feel needs an apology (other than apologizing to all of those who I’ve bored to death).

I appreciate everyone who reads this blog, who leaves a comment, or emails me, or comments on facebook, I hope you all keep it up.  I don’t attach my name to my blog because I don’t think its necessarily appropriate for me in my current position, my writing is my own and has nothing to do with my day job.

Keep reading.  Or don’t.  I thank all those that do, but I’m not losing sleep because my anonymity makes my blog any less credible.

CSL Matchday 7 – Shandong Luneng (山东鲁能)

Posted 26 Aug 2010 — by admin
Category Beijing Guoan

No that’s not a typo, tonight’s clash between Beijing and Shandong (tv coverage on BTV-6, 19:30 kickoff) is actually matchday 7 for them.  The match between the two sides was rescheduled due to an event in Shandong’s home stadium on the original matchday way back at the beginning of May.  This is a cannot lose match for Guoan if they want to keep their title hopes alive.

It will also be a hard night for Hong to put together a lineup.  The midfield is already facing a number of injuries and may even have to go without Ryan Griffiths, who was shown a bad red card in the match over the weekend. There’s a bit of controversy since this game was moved and if it was played as originally scheduled in May, Griffiths would have been able to play.  After a 2 goal debut, youngster Zhang Xizhe will certainly be part of the manager’s plans tonight and hopefully Yang Hao will have shaken the virus that has kept him out for over a week.

The opponent’s tonight, Shandong, have stayed around the top all season long and have held on to the top spot for over a month now.  Led by a resurgent Han Peng, who has knocked in 12 goals this year, and Zhou Haibin, who has found his role after a bad showing in Europe, the team is solid top to bottom.  The names are all familiar to Guoan fans, who most of all are scared of the big man in the middle of the field Roda Antar, though Darko Matic did a good job dealing with him head-to-head last year.

The past three times these two sides have met all ended in draws.  An away draw won’t end Guoan’s title hopes, but a loss pretty much spells the end of their title defense, putting them 10 points back with 10 games to play.  Shandong’s never an easy place to play and they’ll definitely be ready for this one, after being rocked by Liaoning over the weekend.    My heart’s pulling for a victory in this one, but I’m expecting they’ll stay in line with the history and it will be a low scoring draw, though Lele’s sticking with her heart and predicting Beijing will win.

I couldn’t make the trip to Jinan, but hoping the guys in green can make me proud tonight, we need 3 points.

Li Ning Nabs Number Two Again…

Posted 26 Aug 2010 — by admin
Category Brands, Sports, business

CNBC reports that NBA #2 overall draft pick, Ohio State star Evan Turner, has signed a shoe contract with Li Ning for the upcoming season.  The article gets wrong that this is the 1st time such a prominent player on his 1st shoe deal has signed with a Chinese brand, last year Li Ning also signed the #2 pick, Hasheem Thabeet, though his NBA future wasn’t as bright as Turner’s.

Li Ning, China’s largest domestic sportswear brand, wasn’t the 1st Chinese brand to sign an NBA player, that honor goes to Peak and Anta, who signed Shane Battier and Luis Scola, respectively.  Originally, the focus was in signing the players who were around Yao Ming, guaranteeing that their sneakers would be seen on Chinese tv on a regular basis.  Li Ning stepped out of that mold, signing big names that were never able to sell shoes in the US like Shaq and Baron Davis.  Peak has been the brand matching them player for player, focusing on aging players with big names, like Ron Artest and Jason Kidd while Anta had the major coup among shoe brands when it signed Kevin Garnett.  This signing of potential NBA star Evan Turner is the biggest so far, and is also taking a big risk if he doesn’t pan out (like Thabeet), though it has garnered a lot of attention.

Li Ning has a unique, two-sided personality.  In China, its positioned as the top Chinese brand, the most well known and trusted of a crowded sportswear field.  It’s success comes from its large number of stores focused on 2nd and 3rd tier (and below) cities across China where they are seen as cooler than their Chinese competition and far cheaper than the foreign competition.

With their efforts to enter the US market, the company did the exact opposite of what was expected.  Instead of using price point to beat the competition, they feared a lower price would mark them as inferior goods from China (not a small concern, Lakers coach Phil Jackson blamed Artest’s injuries on his Peak shoes),  they’ve paired US$100-125 shoes (close to the same prices they sell to in China) with US$30 tshirts, US$100 sweatshirts, and US$400 jackets (way over the Chinese prices).  The response to some of the shoes (which can be found at Champs Sports and popular online retailer Eastbay) has been up and down, most of the designs have gotten average or bad reviews from sneaker fiends, while the 1st Baron Davis offering has gotten some love.

The novelty of seeing guys wearing Li Ning or Peak shoes on an NBA court has worn off and is quickly becoming a common sight, we aren’t far from the day when there will be a player on each team wearing a Chinese brand.  Nike and Adidas have been far more stingy with tossing out personalized shoes for players and have started to focus only on a small stable of superstar players.  Reebok and Converse are no longer a competitors in the shoe scene.  Chinese brands shower these role players and aging stars with love, thus padding the ego of these coddled giants who think that signing with a Chinese brand will make them famous and loved by 1.3 billion people who will be buying their signature shoe (and often these are guys with no other hope of having a shoe named after themselves).  No matter what, that feeding of the ego is going to guarantee that Li Ning and other Chinese shoe brands will have no problem signing bigger and better players as the years go on, one day we might see Li Ning unseat Nike from their top spot in the domestic sportswear market, though US and foreign markets will remain a difficult prospect.

Through a (Cloudy) Looking Glass 26

Posted 26 Aug 2010 — by admin
Category Environment

Beijing  August 26, 2010  09:05

view from my window

A nice blue sky day in Beijing, although according to @BeijingAir on twitter, things are only “moderate”.  Then again, moderate is the best rating we’ve had for almost a week.

Slip Sliding Away at the Water Cube’s New Water Park

Posted 26 Aug 2010 — by admin
Category travel

water cube's unique exterior
The other day was your typical, polluted Beijing summer day, one where I could barely see buildings less than 5 km away, I needed to do something to get my mind off the horrible weather.  With that in mind and a few birthdays coming up, it was time to plan a special gathering, I decided we’d check out the new water park built inside the Water Cube.

the smaller slide selection

inside the dream like atmosphere

After 2 years of trying to figure out what to do with the Water Cube now that the Olympics are over, the owners decided to open up Asia’s largest water amusement park on the 2nd anniversary of the opening of the 2008 Olympics.    The park is just one of many activities inside the Water Cube, you can swim or play in one of the practice pools, watch a ballet performance in the competition hall, or just look around and shop at a variety of stores selling everything from NBA gear to Beijing speciality food items to a Maotai store.  And if you get hungry, there are tons of snack vendors as well as a Real Kungfu outlet among other fast food spots on offer.

The park has 6 slides on offer, a wave pool, a kid’s section, and an area just to float in inner tubes.  Of the slides, the one offering the biggest thrill is the Aqualoop, where you enter a podlike structure and on the count of three, the floor literally falls out under your feet and you go into a 40 foot free fall down the slide, then up a curve and into a splash pool.  This was the only slide that the less adventurous were backing away from.  At this tower, there are 2 other rides, one that has 4 people in an inner tube that spins around on the way down and the other a large, long, but more conservative water slide.  All three require climbing multiple flights of stairs to get to the 3rd or 4th floor from which they depart.

the "wave pool" and aqualoop in the background

the "wave pool" and aqualoop in the background

The wave pool in the middle was more than a little disappointing in that there didn’t seem to be any waves.  It was the spot for people to hang out and see themselves on the large tv screen and a crowd formed around the camera.  There was also a live band that was performing Lady Gaga and other current pop favorites at ear bleeding levels (though I think Lady Gaga at any decibel level is hard to take).

the water slides up close and personal

the water slides up close and personal

The other area also had 3 slides, though only 2 were operational, as well as a number of small, kiddie slides.  There were some interesting features, including a mini Water Cube replica that would fill up with water and, when full, splash it all on the unwitting people waiting in line.  The lines are longer here as less effort is involved (you only need to climb a flight or two of stairs) and these slides are far more tamer, with young kids and the less courageous getting in on the fun.

Service at the park was excellent and staffers spoke both English and Chinese.  Ticket prices, at RMB200, are steep, but the advantage is that it keeps the lines shorter, meaning that you will only wait in line 5-10 minutes for most the rides, maximizing the fun.  It was pretty crowded on the day we went, due mostly to it being summer vacation for kids across China and the park having only opened a week earlier.

The dreamlike nature of the Water Cube itself is ramped up by the bright colors, unusual decorations, and wacky performances, but for the “largest water park in Asia”, the park is decidedly small and lacks room to expand and make it more interesting.  The Aqualoop is the only slide that really draws you back for more and the “entertainment” is targeted more for provincial visitors rather than expats.  I could see myself going back if I was desperate for something different in the dead of winter, but not anytime soon.

For more photos of the park, check out my flickr page.