Starbucks under Threat in Beijing’s Forbidden City

The People’s Republic of China is a communist dictatorship founded on the principles of Marx, Lenin and Mao. So when the news from Beijing suggests that a news anchorman is leading a campaign to kick Starbucks out of the former imperial palaces of the Forbidden City, one doesn’t know what to make of it. Are the ChiComs going soft? Or have they rediscovered their revolutionary roots? Why is Starbucks running a coffee shop at a World Heritage Site? And what kind of communist revolutionary doesn’t burn the palace to the ground at the very beginning of the revolution?

Rui Chenggang, an anchorman on state television channel CCTV9, has a blog in which he wrote that Starbucks’ presence at the spot was “not globalizing, but trampling, Chinese culture.” After that appeared, his petition to force Starbucks out of the location attracted half a million signatures. Moreover, when Starbucks opened the shop in 2000, the local backlash was so bad that the museum authorities in charge thought about revoking the license.

Now, when it comes to “trampling Chinese culture,” no one takes a backseat to the Communist Party of China. Chairman Mao was the greatest murderer in the history of mankind, responsible for 16 million Chinese deaths (this is the Communist Party’s figure) during the 1959-61 famine he engineered as part of the "Great Leap Forward." And there were a few million deaths in other stages of his rule. Killing millions of people is the epitome of trampling a culture; what could show greater contempt for a culture than to murder its people in volume? Well, getting rid of its intelligentsia in a Cultural Revolution might count.

That said, Starbucks Vice President for Greater China Eden Woon was quoted by the Beijing News saying, “Starbucks appreciates the deep history and culture of the Forbidden City and has operated in a respectful manner that fits within the environment. We have provided a welcome place of rest for thousands of tourists, both Chinese and foreign, for more than six years. We are honored to have the opportunity, under an agreement with the Forbidden City, to enhance visitors’ museum experience.” Yeah, nothing enhances the experience of viewing a World Heritage Site as much as a “decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n'-Low and one NutraSweet.” (Thanks, Bill Maher). Maybe mass murder would be more respectful of Chinese culture; one can’t imagine the Chinese ideogram that drink would require to post on a menu or write on a receipt.

Or is this much more simple? Starbucks makes coffee. The Chinese invented tea. Is it possible that a tea house that served green, oolong or China Black tea would be welcomed? Maybe a compromise is in order. Perhaps Starbucks could stay if they figure out how to serve tea that doesn’t taste of coffee. Based on years of experience, Starbucks wouldn’t have a prayer. On the other hand, maybe the communists deserve coffee that sells for $4.50 a cup – it’s a small measure of justice, or is that a tall? Grande? Vente?

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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