[singlepic id=104 w=320 h=240 float=left]On October 1st 2009, Beijing will celebrate in grand style the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. Among the expected festivities to take place that day, a grand military parade as the capital has not seen for ten years and ultrastrictes security measures that make life difficult for residents.
Since early September, the city is literally cut into two by the army and police, to make room for rehearsals which take place every weekend. As a matter of facts, most Beijing inhabitants are unable to cross the multiple security controls to get to work. The main high-tech zone of Beijing, Zhongguancun, in the northwest of the town is not spared. Many employees are unable to reach their offices.
“Nobody warned us in advance with precision. And the authorities change their plans every day. It is impossible to get organized in these conditions!” Enrages Yuan Yi, the young boss of a Chinese start-ups specialized in developing games for mobile phones.
Taken aback, the company has decided to rely on telecommuting, but some employees don’t have access to the necessary equipment. This implies for instance designers who do not have their own graphics tablet at home.
For Nick, a Sino-Danish analyst programmer, homecoming has become an ordeal: “My employer exceptionally let me go back home todat at 2PM but I actually got home at 8PM after six hours waiting to watch the tanks pass in the street. As I often work on weekends, I decided to take a hotel room on the right side of the city. It’s easier”.
The municipality of Beijing has canceled the last repetition, apparently in response to fed up people who have already experienced the limitations set by the Olympics last year. But that is not enough for Yi Yuan: “They can still change their minds!”
With these commemorations, the Chinese communist party thus shows once again that it has its very own concept of what a major festivals and popular gatherings should be.
When I look at the pictures, I can clearly imagine how big a mess it has been so far…
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