OPINION> Commentary
Wise men know when to go
By Yan Xizao (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-05 07:34

Poor Xie Yalong. What? You do not know this name? Congratulations. At least you are not a fan of Chinese soccer, men's, I mean. To make it short, he is public enemy No 1 to Chinese soccer fans.

I did not know who he is, either, until "Xie Yalong xia ke" (which translates literally into "class over for Xie Yalong") loomed really big on the Internet horizon. Not necessarily because he is a bad guy. But little doubt he is no good as de facto head of the China Football Association.

So, during the lackluster Olympic contest between South American soccer powerhouses Brazil and Argentina two weeks back, fans cried that out loud. Again, and again.

Good to know some on the green mistook it for hilarious Chinese fans cheering for them. Or the once warmly anticipated match might have been even duller.

I congratulate myself on not watching Chinese men's soccer. I feel sorry for those continuing to shed tears for it. We had enough of it. And I don't think life will be any less enjoyable without a national men's soccer squad. Or men's soccer altogether. What has the men's soccer brought us all these years? Very little, if not nothing, except scandals of in-fighting, gambling, bribed referees, and some uglier things.

Rumor has it that class is truly over this time for Mr Xie. And also that he is in all-out crisis management so as to stay. I won't do that, if I were him.

A pissed-off husband in Dalian wanted Xie to get the boot and disappear. But his wife found that unfair for any successor. As a punishment, Xie should stay where he is - to clean the mess.

Wondering if this rings a bell to Mr Xie. But so what if Mr Xie goes, some others go, and everything else remains the way it is?

* * *

For quite a while, I privately doubted my own cognitive abilities. How come the "famous brands", many said to be tremendously popular nationally, or even internationally, sound so unfamiliar to my ears?

Later I became aware that such halos had little to do with popularity in the marketplace. Some were fabricated by cunning business people.

To me at least, the more confusing ones are those boasting official endorsement. I hate hearing such and such being a "famous brand" designated by such and such authorities. Particularly when it is something totally strange. There were times I consulted fellows around, in an innocent hope that I was indeed ill-informed. But more often than not, they were as ignorant as I was.

I will not buy a "famous brand" I never even heard of. But they don't seem to care. And continue to churn out unheard-of "famous brands". Is this a benefit of a decentralized economy that goes by the name of market?

I appreciate the authorities' eagerness to upgrade domestic brands. Still I'm in the belief that a brand is famous not because any institutions say it is. No matter how powerful they are.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ) deserves a pat on the back, for its determination to divest from such certification activities. Good for itself, and for us all.

To the all-important GAQSIQ, I'd like to say, please concentrate on quality. As to which brand is famous, or not, leave it to us.

* * *

Government officials as corporate managers? Or vice versa? To outsiders, it may sound like joking. But not here.

For decades, people have taken for granted that leaders of State-owned firms are part of the government establishments, and logically carry administrative responsibilities, and thus ranks. Sure, that's a legacy of the years of overall central planning. Which assured the government direct and unobstructed access to management chores.

But now is not then. The dual identity of corporate managers is now an acknowledged downside. Shanghai's plan to do away with the administrative ranks of managers of local State-owned companies is an admirable break from a problematic past.

This may take away some sense of security. But it ensures true entrepreneurs focus on what they are supposed to do. I wouldn't grudge calling it revolutionary. It is nothing less than that.

(China Daily 09/05/2008 page8)