Asia Blog: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam

According to this China daily article, about half of stocks on the Shanghai exchange are down 30% in the last month, although the index itself is up 85% this year alone:

Almost half of the yuan-denominated A-shares in the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges fell more than 30 percent in the past month, a news report said Thursday. Forty-five percent of the total, or 653 stocks dropped more than 30 percent; 901 stocks, or 62 percent, were down more than 20 percent; and 53 declined more than 50 percent.

Dow Jones Shanghai Index - 85% up

It’s interesting, because there are some stocks, like Shandong Gold Mining Co., Ltd, which are up 153% for the year. It’s incredible:

Shandong Gold Mining Co - 153% up

These incredible gains are balanced by companies like Actions Semiconductor Company, which is down 29% this year:

Actions Semiconductor Co. - down 29%

I don’t understand the China markets, or any markets for that matter, but the amount of enthusiasm and turmoil is fascinating to watch. China is this decade’s big market boom. It will also herald the next largest, global crash we’ve ever seen. Expect China to be the herald of global change!

There’s a new China Daily article out about the upcoming wife shortage that threatens this generation of Chinese men. ‘Wife shortage’ to hit nation in 2020s claims that there are now 37 million excess males in China, and that in 2005 19% more boys were born than girls. In some provinces, like southern Guangdong or Hainan there are as many as 38% excess males. Tian Xueyuan, deputy director of the China Population Society, is quoted:

Currently, the problem does not seem to be very serious, but if it remains unchecked, when they reach the marriage age, problems will occur.

This population imbalance could have a number of outlets, including but not limited to:

• Immigration: China may start losing young, single men to other countries with available women.
• Revolution: Young single men unhappy with society and with too much free time on their hands might want to change the government. Don’t forget, 20% of a generation of Chinese males is a lot of young men.
• Crime: Depressed single men could be more likely to become career criminals. “A woman’s touch” isn’t a myth; the presence of women stabilize male behaviour.
• Productivity: I’m not sure that men are more suited than women for any particular job, but the reason there are more men is attributed to a Chinese desire for them, founded in a belief that men are more useful. Perhaps in a Chinese agricultural context these men will help improve the country’s productivity.

The solution is clearly for the young generation to move to NYC, where there can be found the highest concentration of desperate, single women in America. There, our two countries can solve their matchmaking problems together.

In spite of it being up for download online, I decided to cave in and buy My Girl on Amazon:

It has a 4.5/5 rating on Amazon, which bodes well, and my girlfriend swears to heaven it’s the best drama she has ever seen. I was able to get one at a used price of $40, which is also good! It was produced in 2005 / 2006, so it’s fairly new, and assorted ratings around the net put it 90% or higher. Here’s a plot summary from IMDB:

The story concerns a young hotel magnate whose grandfather lingers near death, depressed of having never met his granddaughter, having dismissed her mother from his life years earlier. The manager, unable to locate his long lost sister, instead hires a young con artist who has tried to scam him to act as his sister for the benefit of his grandfather. Romantic and comic entanglements ensue between the two as their plan takes hold all to well. But what will happen when the grandfather makes a miraculous recovery and the two are forced to act as brother and sister, perhaps forever?

It’s worth pointing out that in Korea a girlfriend will call her boyfriend “older brother,” so typical American feelings might not get the joke!