My China Musings

This blog is my thoughts on many things and about my adventures of living and traveling in China.

August 24, 2007

I am sitting in Chengdu as I write this. I decided that I needed a little vacation. So I came to Sichuan Province's capital. Chengdu is an ancient city...as well as very modern.  It was important during the Silk Road days, was overrun by the Mongols, but rebuilt itself by the time Marco Polo decided to travel. Tang Dynasty emperors hid here from uprisings. Three Kingdom Ruler, Liu Bei is buried in Chendu. There is a huge temple complex dedicated to him, Zhuge Liang...his military strategist and the Three Kingdom Era. Liu Bei's mausoleum is a hill, tree covered hill. I spent a couple hours or more, in this complex. Lots of statues of the men that fought along side Liu Bei are on display. I am always amazed at the ornateness of the clothing. Ancient Chinese people had wonderful costumes. Sichuan was one of the places that silk and brocade were produced. I dont know if the clothing the generals wore were made of those materials, but they were full of colors and decorations. There are wonderful temples built in ancient times, both Taoist and Buddhist in and around the city. If you are into Panda bears (I am not), the breeding station is not far away. I had planned on just exploring and seeing the off the beaten path areas. I got to yesterday, today, it is seriously raining. So I have basically, just stayed around the hotel and rested and wrote. Wrote this blog and wrote for my job on the magazine. What did we do before laptop computers?  Last night I went and watched a Sichuan Opera show where the characters change their masks with a flash of their capes and breathe fire. Quite a show. Definately, worth the trip just to see them in person. I took the train here. We passed through mountains for most of afternoon and through most of the night. I was amazed to see wooden houses...beautiful, old wooden houses, ornately decorated and very old. Usually, the dwellings are adobe brick...mud and grass bricks. I am going to figure out a way to travel in the back country areas and just take pictures of these wonderful houses. I talked to a fellow that traveled through the back country of Hunan Province. He said it was just amazing at how friendly the people were, the beauty of the country and differences in the dwellings. I think it would fun to travel and see those sights and write about them and take lots of pictures. Till next time.

posted by: CarolenChina at 14:02 | link | comments |
china, living in china

August 18, 2007

I heard from an old friend today. Or I should say an old friend in China. He arrived in China about 2 years later than I did. He is an Aussie, I am an American.  We were both teachers in Xiangfan. He taught at a middle school, I was at a college. We became pretty good friends, shared a meal here and there, held gripe sessions, and lamented life as a laowei.  He went to Wuhan and I went to Guangzhou. Our paths separated but good old Yahoo keeps people connected. We even talk over Yahoo, once in awhile. He called me today and we must talked a couple of hours. He was telling me about the separation he was going through from his Chinese girlfriend. I felt as I listened that I was hearing the story of a death of friendship. Maybe, part of their problems stem from the fact that he is twice her age.  But as I listened, I began to realize that maybe it was more of the fact he and she dance in separate cultures.  What we find unacceptable in the West, Chinese people have no problem. For example, most people from the west face a problem or ask a question in a direct manner. We, also, answer questions for the most part without beating around the bush. Chinese people will do anything not to answer a question directly. Their favorite answer is "maybe". For example, do you think it will rain today? "Maybe". Is the sky blue? "Maybe".  Do you want to go?" "Maybe". Just not answering questions is common. Chinese people will not answer questions if they think you have asked too many  or if they simply dont want to. And if they feel like they have to answer directly, not answering is a way around that. Sometimes, it feels like Chinese people judge foreigners by double standards. It is perfectly okay for them to expect something from a foreigner that they wouldnt expect from a Chinese person. We value trust in the West. Trust isnt  big in China. Finding out that we have not been told the truth or only part of the truth isnt something foreigners can forgive easily. I guess, my friend had found out some things that were not sitting well and his trust in the girlfriend was shaky.  He lamented that he just doesnt understand why it is so hard  for the Chinese to explain things.  My friend was saying that his girlfriend never forgot the slightest mistake that he ever made and would remind him of it months later. I have experienced that, too. I agreed with him that it doesnt seem fair. And Chinese people will not sit and discuss a problem without making everything seem like it is only the foreigner that causes problems. They never seem to see that every incident has two different viewpoints. This is China and things should be seen the Chinese way. I wish I could say that I didnt know what he was talking about or what he was feeling. Maybe, since he is romantically involved, I dont know exactly about which he speaks. I know that I too, have felt used by my Chinese friends. I guess they dont seem to realize that foreigners notice when noone at the dinner table speaks English but the friend, and the foreigner sits for the two hours without talking to anyone. All the Chinese friend was doing was showing a foreign face.  Food under such circumstances doesnt have much taste. My friend  is feeling very used and abused at the moment. I told him to give the relationship a little space. There are many, many couples who overcome the cultural differences and  move on to marriage. And I have seen cross cultural friendships can survive most bumps. It is not easy for either side. But it certainly is worth the effort.

Before I end this entry, I have to tell you about a dragonfly. I went into the city yesterday, and as I was waiting for the camp's van to go back, I was standing watching a dragonfly. It was seeing its reflection in the windshield of a car. It would dance and hover over the glass and then fly away and return again. In one of its loops it came very close to my face as if it were trying to see me up close and personal. He or she hovered in front of me for three or four minutes.  I could see every detail on its little face. It had the prettiest golden iridescence about it. In Native American lore, a dragonfly is the sign of change. Maybe this one was trying to tell me that big changes are a comin'. till next time.

posted by: CarolenChina at 07:24 | link | comments (1) |
china, living in china

August 14, 2007

A post script to my last musing. I told about a strike of lightening that hit close to the camp.  It was close enough that it took out ten televisions and fried the wires in two buildings.  Of course, the net bar was off line for a couple of days, finally got it restored last night. All is well today.  Not as hot as before the storm but plenty warm.  I watched as a couple of dragon boats practicing on the lake. They are something to watch. The boats are very narrow in width and long. Probably ten or twelve people are rowing on both sides to the beat of a drum and the direction of a man on the brow. Dragon boats are raced. Usually, the races are eariler in the summer so I am not sure why these guys are working so hard. But they are fun to watch. There is a cadence to dragon boats drum beat, just as there is to dragon or lion dances.  You hear it and you know what's coming. Till next time.  

posted by: CarolenChina at 11:25 | link | comments |
china, living in china, red horse lake camp

August the 12th, 2007

Last year at this time I was in Guangzhou, watching rain. It seemed that a series of typhoons were just skirting Guangdong. However, Guangzhou was close enough that we were experiencing rain and wind. I had never seen it rain so much or so hard in such a short time. Umbrellas were useless. If the rain was coming straight down it would be so hard that an umbrella would not stop it. That was quite an experience.

 

This year, I am in Hunan Province. We had thunderstorms, yesterday, that if I had been in the midwest of the United States, I would have been in the basement. Here in the mountains, we had wind and rain, swirling.  It, literally, looked like we were in a vortex of a storm. First the sheets of  rain would be coming from the southeast, then northwest, then south, and every which direction. The storm clouds were boiling and churning. Lightening flashes were numerous and constant. Thunder sounded like a crescendo movement in classical music. You know, the ones where you hear the kettledrum build to very loud and fade to build again, then the clashes of the cymbals with the other drums playing back up. Mother Nature was playing her orchestra. And she was awesome. We got about 7 inches of rain in about 6 hours. One storm would pass and we would have a break for a little while, then the next band would move in. The first of the series must have lasted at least 2 hours, at least. Of course, the power went out in the first storm. Late in the afternoon, another storm moved in, not quite as intense as the earlier ones, but it carried the worst punch. Lightening hit very near the camp. Sound and flash were instantaneous. It was quite an event. I was standing in my room, looking out the window, watching how hard the rain was coming down. I felt the hair on my arms raise and I started to duck out of instinct, when the flash hit. It was so bright that I saw it through  my  closed eyes. I felt the repercussion in my body and today my right ear is draining something. I was not so close as to get knocked over or anything like that. Other people in the camp said they felt the lightening, too. Let me tell you, it made a believer out of me. I will not be out in thunderstorm. This was close enough, almost too close for comfort. Till next time, (and if it storms near you, run for cover. )

posted by: CarolenChina at 05:20 | link | comments (1) |
china, living in china, red horse lake camp

August 4, 2007

There is a small, village near Red Horse Lake, named Yong(something). It is very old. One old man said maybe the village had been there more than a hundred years. Has a few modern buildings but around it, all are very old looking.  In a space between two buildings, one can see a farm dwelling. It is made from the home made bricks, looks a little rough around the edges. It comes complete with a hand made wooden bridge across a pond or  creek. It makes for a beautiful picture. I keep thinking I should go into the village just before dark and get a picture in the sunset, but I am afraid that the buildings would block the light.  I hope all you know, that I am not putting China or the Chinese people down when I talk about the old vs the new. I read somewhere that Israel suffers from people thinking they are going to find Israel of the Bible when in reality, Israel is a modern country. I think maybe that is part of the mystique of China. We, from the west, have this notion that all Chinese buildings should have the beautiful and graceful flying eaves on the roofs. And we think that all rice paddies should be worked with water buffalo.  China is emerging into a modern nation and the old ways need to change so she can feed all her people. I will admit I am one of those who think water buffalo are "cool". One of my favorite memories of living here was seeing a farmer with his bull on a rope, letting him eat green grass and patting the buffalo's hips with such gentleness. That was a scene I saw in my first few months in China and it is still a favorite. The country people, the farmers and so on, are incredibly shy, but at the same time incredibly generous. Once I was in a village in Hubei at holiday time. I was having a bout with my stomach. The man, we were visiting said I needed to eat sweet potatoes, but he didnt plant any. So he asked around to see if he could find sweet potatoes...before night, more than 30 pounds of sweet potatoes had been brought to his house for the foreigner. I was and still am, very overwhelmed by that.  Part of the beauty here at this resort, is not only the natural beauty of the mountains and skies, but the beauty of stepping back in time ...or so it seems. To pass by a village of hand made bricks and the old style tiles and guardians on the roofs is very peaceful and beautiful. To see a big white Christian church was a shocker.  I guess the down side, is that for the most part the people of the fields and villages are the poorer of the population and have a ways to go to catch up with the city dwellers. Many farmers give up their land or their children leave to find work in the cities hoping for a better life. I wish at times I could look into the computer and you could see the wonderful sights I have seen from being in this mystical land. And 99% of what I have seen that I wish I could share is not the usual tourist places but off the beaten paths. Zaoyang and its old temples and bamboo forests, Hong Shan with its mountain ringed valley complete with a Song Dynasty temple, Xinjiang Province and it'sTaklamakan Desert, Qing Hai Hu or Green Sea Lake, with the yellow rapeseed blooming and the blue, blue sky. Ice mountains against the blue sky, and water buffalo playing in a pond with snouts and horns only things visible. I have watched a boat cross the Yangtze, that looked like it came off a Song Dynasty vase....I have seen towering cliffs along Nan Hu...and butterflies in Hong Shan of every description,color and size. I have seen a special moth that looks like a hummingbird, I have seen a moth that looks like it couldnt decide whether to be a moth, butterfly or bee.... And I have met wonderful people ranging from Zhao Hai and his family, Mo Cong and her family to people I never knew their names. China is a land of contrasts.... Yes, I feel blessed that I came here when I did and got to see a lot change. I am grateful for this China journey....and the best part is, it aint over yet. Till next time.  

posted by: CarolenChina at 11:59 | link | comments |
china, living in china

August 1, 2007

Red Horse Lake Training Camp is about 2 hours from Changsha, Hunan. I think I have mentioned that fact a couple of times before.  There is extensive road work going on in the area so the trip, to and from the city, is quite an adventure unto itself.  Yesterday, coming back from the city the driver took back roads that I had not been over before. We passed through several very small villages....that were picturesque, to say the least. Right out in the middle of nowhere was a (I think) a Catholic Church or at least a Christian Church. A big steeple complete with cross was standing in front of the church and it was huge and white. Now, for all of you not familiar with Chinese history, Hunan Province is the home province of Chairman Mao. So I guess the church surprised me from that context. It has  a great setting, upon a hill over looking a valley of rice paddies. Usually, rice paddies are terraced, so they make a very beautiful picture. Mud brick houses and buildings of the village dwellers surrounded the church, giving it a royal air. Farmers cannot afford to white wash their homes. Once in awhile you see newer houses made of ugly gray concrete block. Sometimes they are covered with white tiles like bathroom tiles used back home. Guardian animal figures grace the old fashioned tiled roofs, but they lack the character and beauty of the old brick homes and the old guardian animals. . Somewhere along the road, in our two hour sojourn, we could see a viaduct way off in the distance. We even got to see a few water buffalo. They are being replaced with rototillers that can be used in the water bogs where rice is planted. China wants to bring their farmers out of the past and is furnishing them with more modern equipment. There is a certain charm about seeing the people and water buffalo working in the fields. I think that China will be poorer if all the water buffalo go.  With that I will close, till next time.

posted by: CarolenChina at 13:48 | link | comments |
china, living in china

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