July 8, 2008 5:37 PM
The Chinese Have Actually Heard of Denver
So I'm sitting at a table in the Beijing Olympic Media Center,
continuing on The Road to Deportation, when the
volunteer flipping through my passport asks me who I work for."The Rocky Mountain News, in Denver, Colorado," I say.
"Denver?" he asks.
"Yes, Denver. Do you know where that is?"
He gives me a sideways look. The kid is a college student from a university here in Beijing. He's got a mop of dyed red hair that's not quite spiky and not quite floppy; it looks more like a Chia Pet after a few hours of growth. His English is surprisingly decent, though like many of the Chinese I've met, he says he's never left the country.
"Yes, I know Denver," he says.
"You do?" I ask. "How?"
A half-sideways look this time. He pulls his head back straight, and says, though measuring the words:
"A...." a beat.... "I."
I nearly jump out of my seat.
"You know who Iverson is?"
"Yes, of course," he says. [I should interject here: I'm not sure who's teaching all these kids English, but all of young people I've met use "of course" in every sentence, even when it doesn't entirely make sense.]
"Do you know any other players on the Nuggets?"
"Yes. I know...." a really long pause this time, as he tries to find the words.... " 'Melo Anthony."
I try to get any other Denver information out of the guy. He's never heard of John Elway or Patrick Roy; I can't seem to make a connection when I ask about "Coors Light," even though it is sold at many bars in Beijing.
Then later in the day, at a market near the city's Worker's Stadium, I find the bobblehead seen above. It's on a shelf next to bobbleheads of Kobe, LeBron, Tracy McGrady and, naturally, Yao.
In short: the Chinese may actually know that Denver exists due to a 6' tall guard from Virginia who went to school in Washington, D.C., and spent most of his career in Philadelphia. Somehow, I think this is progress.
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