Society

Hyundai showgirls on 2010 Guangzhou Auto Show, photos taken on 20^th Dec 2010.

Chinese premier Wen Jiabao may no longer be in India but you can still discuss the state of India-China relations, and maybe even get a flavor of China in the wake of his visit.

Not only is Chinese cuisine hugely popular across India, it has also evolved into a hybrid of its own: “Chindian” or “Chinjabi.”

The hallmarks of “Chindian” are the use of paneer, a variety of cottage cheese widely used as a meat substitute in India but pretty much unheard of in Chinese food elsewhere. Because of religious dietary restrictions, pork is hard to find and beef isn’t available at all.

You can also be almost certain you’re in a bonafide Chindian place if you see anything “Manchurian,” a generic gravy sauce that can accompany anything. Cauliflower also tends to crop up in Chindian menus, as do dishes garnished with coriander and cumin – staple ingredients of Indian cuisine which are not as popular in mainland China. You’ll also see something called sweet corn and chicken soup, which is a popular cornstarch-heavy concoction.

Police have detained mourners of the Shanghai apartment tower blaze that last month killed at least 58 people, shoving middle-aged men and women onto a bus and shuttling them away Sunday.

The Nov. 15 fire sparked pointed questions about the quality of construction work in Shanghai, as it was blamed on poor workmanship during renovation of the 28-floor residential tower. In a city filled with skyscrapers, the fire chilled locals who watched on live TV how the fire department was seemingly unable to pluck residents from the burning tower. The tragedy threw cold water on Shanghai’s post Expo glow and its motto “Better City, Better Life.”

The fire also prompted an unprecedented outpouring of sorrow and anger by residents of a city with a reputation for being emotionally vacuous. In the days after the fire, parades of mourners descended toward the base of the charred ruins toting wreaths.

Now, police may be signaling some mourners are going too far.

In an event in Silicon Valley, someone asked me: “In one sentence or two, would you tell me what is the Chinese dream?” (as he learned I wrote a book called The Chinese Dream).

A simple question, but no simple answers.

When I left China 20 years ago, there was no Chinese dream. I had to leave my country and come to America to pursue my dream of a better future. But today, many young people in China can start their own business and have a lot more opportunities. Even many of my American friends are going to China because of the tremendous opportunities presented there.

As a Chinese magazine editor told me bluntly, “The Chinese Dream is a copy of the American Dream.”

Many middle class Chinese are influenced by the American way of life. They are bombarded by many material temptations and proliferating choices. TV commercials, the Internet, and Hollywood movies give them a rosy picture of the American middle class.