November 24 - 30, 2011

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Happy Thanksgiving! 感恩节快乐！

Are you having turkey hot pot today? That’s one of the most popular ways to consume turkey in China. It’s just one of the dishes you can have at the U.S. Turkey Gourmet Restaurant（美国火鸡美食餐厅）in Beijing. You could also elect to have turkey dumplings, gongbao turkey, or turkey soup. In 2010, Chinese consumed 32,000 metric tons（70.5 million pounds）of turkey. More than 80% of that turkey came from the U.S. Mexico is America’s largest export market for turkey. China is a distant second, importing about one-fifth as much as Mexico. The China market for turkey, however, is growing and domestic producers have taken notice. News accounts have highlighted the achievements of people such as Zhou Xiufen 周秀芬, who started with just three turkeys in 2001 and now oversees an operation with hundreds of thousands of birds.（Click here to see her blog, which invites people to join her free training sessions.）

	U.S. Turkey Gourmet Restaurant（Beijing）; Zhou Xiufen, Weifang, Shandong province; various turkey dishes Pictures from the U.S. Turkey Gourmet Restaurant and Zhou Xiufen Turkey Products, Ltd.

American turkey consumption has leveled off（at a world-leading 7.5 kg（16.4 lbs）of turkey a year）, so states such as Minnesota and North Carolina and companies such as Butterball, Hormel, and Cargill hope to increase exports. They’d be delighted if Chinese per capita consumption rose to Taiwan levels. On a per capita basis, in 2010 Taiwan imported five times as much turkey as China. Much of that turkey was consumed in Chiayi turkey rice（嘉义火鸡饭）, a popular dish across the island, with some shops claiming to be thirty-five or fifty years old.

	TL：50 year old Chiayi Turkey Rice restaurant（Ichinohe Shinya, Creative Commons）; TR：fast food Chiayi turkey rice shop（Will Luo, Creative Commons）; L：Chiayi turkey rice（Inchinohe, CC）

Our own thanksgiving offering to you is Assignment：China “Opening Up.” This 52 minute documentary is available now at our website and YouTube channel. The news media has had a deep and enduring influence on what Americans think about China. Assignment：China is the USC U.S.-China Institute’s look at those reporting on China since the 1940s. This segment, the first to be released, focuses on the period 1979-1983 when American journalists were again able to be based in China, following the establishment of normal diplomatic relations. Through interviews and archival footage, we learn about the excitement of reporting about Deng Xiaoping’s trip to the U.S., China’s economic reforms, and the loosening of cultural and social controls. We also learn about the challenges these journalists faced. Some of these were due to China’s immense size, diversity, and complexity, but many stemmed from the desire of the authorities to control access and the fear many ordinary citizens had of speaking to reporters. USCI senior fellow and CNN’s former senior Asia correspondent Mike Chinoy wrote and narrated the segment, assisted by USCI staff and students. We look forward to your comments.

In Shanghai this week and later in Guangzhou and Beijing, audiences will watch a play examining the struggle between news organizations and a secretive government. Top Secret：The Battle for the Pentagon Papers was written by former USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism dean Geoffrey Cowan and journalist Leroy Aarons. Drawing on trial transcripts and interviews, the play tells how the New York Times and Washington Post gained access to a secret report of how the U.S. became entangled in Vietnam’s struggles and how the papers’ decided to work around a court injunction to publish the materials. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of the papers’ right to publish the report. The complete 7,000 page report is now available from the U.S. National Archives.

Cowan is touring China with the L.A. Theatre Works performers. At several venues and universities, he is discussing the play with audiences and students. On Dec. 4 in Beijing, Cowan will deliver the annual F.Y. Chang Lecture. The lecture is sponsored by Peking University Law School, Tsinghua University Law School and the Harvard University Law School East Asian Legal Studies Program.

Our US-China Today will soon publish an article about how this play about the importance of an independent press was received by audiences in China. In the meantime, you may find the magazine’s recent articles on Communist Party recruitment and on stadium diplomacy of interest. Be sure to take a look at the new photo essay on Chengdu market workers and our new infographics on China’s military, on coal production and consumption, and our interactive map of Chinese leader Hu Jintao’s global travels. Among the many new items published by our Asia Pacific Arts is a video interview with Zhang Jizhong 张纪中, China’s most successful television producer on how he hopes his work will help address China`s moral crisis.

Many Americans associate Thanksgiving with a feast of televised football games. Many fans purchase all sorts of items to use at games or to signal their affection for their favorite team. A lot of these items are manufactured in China. We present a small sampling of the football-related products available from Chinese factories via on-line services such as Alibaba.

Crazy wigs, helmet chair, helmet barbeque, inflatable helmet, holiday lights, and a nite light. So much more that could be shown, beginning with drinking hats, jewelry, flash drives, and cake decorations.

Here in Los Angeles, we’re focused on Saturday’s contest between the USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins. This is one of the oldest and fiercest rivalries in college sports. This week students on both campuses held rallies featuring bonfires while others devoted themselves to defending statues of their respective symbols. Here at USC, Chinese visitors have been fascinated by our duct-taped Tommy Trojan and its student protectors. You can see for yourself via “Tommy Cam.” USC alumni clubs across the globe are planning to watch the game. In Shanghai, they’ll gather at Big Bamboo, in Hong Kong at the Holiday Inn Golden Mile, and in Taipei at the Brass Monkey. Go Trojans! Fight On!

USC bonfire preparations, 2011; UCLA bonfire 2010（JMR Photography, Creative Commons）

Thanks for reading Talking Points. Please share it with others and encourage them to subscribe. We welcome your feedback. Please write to us at uschina@usc.edu.

We’re also grateful for your financial support. Projects such as Assignment：China take considerable resources. You can make your tax deductible donation to the U.S.-China Institute via the secure USC server at：https://giveto.usc.edu/pledge.asp

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