Sorry it's been so long--relatively speaking--since my last update. Between studying our daily lessons (which are unfortunately but expectedly getting more and more advanced in their subject matter) and trying to explore all the parts of Beijing that I haven't gotten to yet, it's just hard to find the motivation to blog. There's no planned excursion this weekend, so hopefully I'll get a bit of time to rest.
Last Saturday's trip to 十渡 (shi2du4, Ten Crosses) can be summed up in two words: bungee jumping. Yes, whether you choose to believe it or not, I did indeed jump from a platform 180 feet above the water's surface with nothing but a rope to support me. I felt surprisingly calm until I was standing at the very edge, at which point my composure promptly turned to thoughts of terrible ways in which I was about to die. To be honest, I don't actually remember the fall since it was so quick, but others tell me that I was particularly bouncy. Pretty awesome. Shidu also had these incredibly fun water cannon boats for rent, which we of course took advantage of. My boat had me, Simon, my roommate David, and another Duke person named Victor. In the course of combat, I managed to board another group's boat, spray them with my water gun, and jump back on my boat--all while wearing a cowboy hat. Did I mention that I'm actually a pirate in training?
On Monday, I found out that former Light Fellow Devin Lau had come all the way from Hong Kong to Beijing, so he, Nie Laoshi (3rd year), and I went out to a Hunan restaurant (I think) to eat dinner and catch up. I tried some dishes I had never tasted before--for example, bitter melon and this one type of poached fish--and had an all-around good time. Naturally, I let Devin and Nie Laoshi do most of the talking, while I listened. I've started to notice that I can fairly readily follow Chinese conversations, even those between fluent to close-to-fluent speakers. It's hard to say whether this is simply because I've spent close to two months in Beijing, or because our curriculum is particularly effective, but it's definitely quite a thrill. While I do feel as though my vocabulary is a little lacking, this is a choice that I consciously made by going with DSICP--rather than staying in my room and studying 生词 all day, I have to freedom to go out, have fun, and practice my speaking and listening skills, which are as important as vocabulary, if not more so.
Speaking of going out, I had quite an adventure today trying to find my language partner's house on the outskirts of Beijing. As part of the program, every DSIC student is required to visit his/her language partners' home or dorm. However, my language partner is a girl, and males at CNU are not allowed to enter girls' dorms, leaving only the former option. The first leg of the trip was simple: I took a bus from the CNU campus two stops down to Hangtianqiao. This was where the difficulties began. I ended up getting off at Hangtianqiaobei, rather than Hangtianqiaoxi where I should have gotten off. After asking about four people, none of whom knew how to get from bei to xi, I ended up walking around on my own until I found the right stop. From there, I took another bus for close to an hour out to Shuangyuhuandaoxi, but not before getting a text message from my language partner saying there was yet another bus I'd have to take once I got there. So I took that bus--going the wrong way. After about fifteen minutes, I realized I was getting further and further from my desired destination, so I got off, crossed the street, and got on the right one. Eventually, I arrived at my language partner's area, Pudongxiaoqu; furthermore, it was all worth it in the end, because her mom made tons of incredibly delicious jiaozi (and other yummies) for me to eat. The scenery in the area was also very pretty; I guess this is a perk of living in a suburb, regardless of which country it's in.
Today's dinner was a different experience altogether. My roommate introduced several people, including me, to a barbecue restaurant near campus. The place had unlimited meat, dumplings, fruit, and drinks for only 45 kuai (~$6). The kimchi there was also very authentic tasting, which was a pleasant surprise. However, the thing that I will remember best about the restaurant is not the quantity or even the quality of the food, but the fact that the six guys who went all decided to take off our shirts halfway through the meal. We were actually following the example of some big Chinese men sitting across from us, and I was a little worried that they'd get mad and come beat us up; fortunately, they didn't notice--or, if they did, pretended not to. There is no way I would have done something like this in America, but I figured that such an opportunity only comes once in a lifetime. Don't worry, pictures are forthcoming.
It hadn't really struck me that I'm nearly done with my stay in China until I got departure instructions along with my corrected homework today. I approach the end with a rather ambivalent attitude: while I'm very excited about going to Korea and then back to Yale, my two months here in China have taught me more than I ever could have imagined--and I'm not just talking about language acquisition. I'll withhold my concluding thoughts until the real end of the program, but suffice it to say for now that I definitely made the right choice in coming here this summer to study Chinese instead of staying in LA to play or in New Haven to do research.
2008/07/31
2008/07/23
The government and me
The longer I live in China, the more acutely aware I become of how tight of a grip the Chinese government/Communist party (it makes no sense to distinguish between the two) has on information and media that common people have access to. Exhibit A: I was trying to view the YouTube videos that accompany this article today, in particular the video in which two foreign pro-Tibet demonstrators are surrounded and beaten by PRC nationals in a hotel lobby. YouTube has been working relatively smoothly recently, so I felt hopeful. But, inexorably, Firefox yet again displayed the dreaded error message "The connection has been reset [by the government]."
I still cannot imagine what it must be like for a person to grow up his/her entire life being told by ruling authorities which opinions and sources of information are acceptable and which are not. Arguably, it is this very system that gives rise to unfortunate events of the type displayed in that video: the people are led to believe in a common worldview, and when they encounter situations that challenge this worldview, they cannot help but respond sincerely and forcefully. The government, then, knowing that allowing its people to know about said response and the negative opinions of people in other countries regarding said response may contradict the worldview that it has espoused, simply blocks all related informational pathways, at least until the furor dies down. This never-ending cycle, as it were, is only visible from the outside, and thus cannot terminate on its own accord.
It's fascinating to talk to my teachers and yuban about our views of government and human rights. According to my yuban, Chinese people value unity and harmony above all else, including the liberty and happiness of individuals--or rather, they believe that such liberty and happiness should arise naturally out of societal harmony. Furthermore, during my 1-对-1 today, my teacher told me that most Chinese people still consider it best for the government to personally handle any and every affair of the nation. On the one hand, I have enormous respect for these viewpoints, which are rooted in honorable ideals; on the other hand, I have to admit that when I listen to these opinions, a part of me remains in disbelief and feels suffocated with what it perceives to be the impracticality of the current Chinese state of affairs. I hope that this is not an intolerant foreigner mindset but rather a love for China and a hope for improvement of the aspects of Chinese society that are still lacking. At the very least, I'm glad for this opportunity to listen to and discuss beliefs that are different from mine.
Anyway, moving on... I realize that the "average day" post is way overdone, but I figured I should write one for my own sake; after all, five years from now, it's not my weekend trips to tourist destinations but rather everyday life that I'll miss the most about Beijing (if I'm not back here, anyway). So here it is:
6:30 am: Alarm (Backstreet Boys) goes off. Wake up, press snooze, and go back to sleep.
7:15 am: Wake up again when roommate gets out of the shower. Wash, change, and review characters for the day's tingxie.
7:50 am: Walk over to the classroom building and grab a few pieces of bread (provided free of charge) for breakfast.
8:00 - 9:00 am: 大班课 (big class). Lecture. Least fun part of the day.
9:10 - 10:00 am: 小班课 (small class #1). Practice new grammar. Also not very fun.
10:10 - 11:00 am: 小班课 (small class #2). Read the text aloud, improve speaking speed. Getting better.
11:10 - 11:35 am: 1-对-1 (1-on-1). Talk with a teacher about the day's lesson, or any other conversation-worthy topic. My favorite "class."
12:00 - 2:00 pm: Get lunch at the dumpling restaurant next to campus (10 dumplings for 4 kuai, unbeatable). Do homework.
~2:00 pm - 3:30 pm: Meet with yuban, go over homework, talk about life.
4:00 - 8:00 pm: Free time. Play basketball, go out exploring, eat dinner, etc.
8:00 - 10:00 pm: Memorize next day's vocabulary, and, if it's Wednesday/Thursday, write an essay for Friday's oral exam.
10:00 - 11:30 pm: Relax, shower, use internet, talk with roommate.
12:00 am: Sleep. Zzzzz.
That reminds me, I've been having pretty crazy dreams lately. Unfortunately, I can never remember the details, or whether the dream was in Chinese. I'll be sure to mention when I have my first all-Chinese dream. That will be an exciting day indeed.
Edit
Today, during my language practicum about 大锅饭时代 (literally "big pot food time," when everyone in China was guaranteed work), I discovered that I really enjoy speaking with the local people in a casual, non-academic setting. This is something I could not possibly have predicted when I first got to Beijing. I should try doing it more often from now on.
I still cannot imagine what it must be like for a person to grow up his/her entire life being told by ruling authorities which opinions and sources of information are acceptable and which are not. Arguably, it is this very system that gives rise to unfortunate events of the type displayed in that video: the people are led to believe in a common worldview, and when they encounter situations that challenge this worldview, they cannot help but respond sincerely and forcefully. The government, then, knowing that allowing its people to know about said response and the negative opinions of people in other countries regarding said response may contradict the worldview that it has espoused, simply blocks all related informational pathways, at least until the furor dies down. This never-ending cycle, as it were, is only visible from the outside, and thus cannot terminate on its own accord.
It's fascinating to talk to my teachers and yuban about our views of government and human rights. According to my yuban, Chinese people value unity and harmony above all else, including the liberty and happiness of individuals--or rather, they believe that such liberty and happiness should arise naturally out of societal harmony. Furthermore, during my 1-对-1 today, my teacher told me that most Chinese people still consider it best for the government to personally handle any and every affair of the nation. On the one hand, I have enormous respect for these viewpoints, which are rooted in honorable ideals; on the other hand, I have to admit that when I listen to these opinions, a part of me remains in disbelief and feels suffocated with what it perceives to be the impracticality of the current Chinese state of affairs. I hope that this is not an intolerant foreigner mindset but rather a love for China and a hope for improvement of the aspects of Chinese society that are still lacking. At the very least, I'm glad for this opportunity to listen to and discuss beliefs that are different from mine.
Anyway, moving on... I realize that the "average day" post is way overdone, but I figured I should write one for my own sake; after all, five years from now, it's not my weekend trips to tourist destinations but rather everyday life that I'll miss the most about Beijing (if I'm not back here, anyway). So here it is:
6:30 am: Alarm (Backstreet Boys) goes off. Wake up, press snooze, and go back to sleep.
7:15 am: Wake up again when roommate gets out of the shower. Wash, change, and review characters for the day's tingxie.
7:50 am: Walk over to the classroom building and grab a few pieces of bread (provided free of charge) for breakfast.
8:00 - 9:00 am: 大班课 (big class). Lecture. Least fun part of the day.
9:10 - 10:00 am: 小班课 (small class #1). Practice new grammar. Also not very fun.
10:10 - 11:00 am: 小班课 (small class #2). Read the text aloud, improve speaking speed. Getting better.
11:10 - 11:35 am: 1-对-1 (1-on-1). Talk with a teacher about the day's lesson, or any other conversation-worthy topic. My favorite "class."
12:00 - 2:00 pm: Get lunch at the dumpling restaurant next to campus (10 dumplings for 4 kuai, unbeatable). Do homework.
~2:00 pm - 3:30 pm: Meet with yuban, go over homework, talk about life.
4:00 - 8:00 pm: Free time. Play basketball, go out exploring, eat dinner, etc.
8:00 - 10:00 pm: Memorize next day's vocabulary, and, if it's Wednesday/Thursday, write an essay for Friday's oral exam.
10:00 - 11:30 pm: Relax, shower, use internet, talk with roommate.
12:00 am: Sleep. Zzzzz.
That reminds me, I've been having pretty crazy dreams lately. Unfortunately, I can never remember the details, or whether the dream was in Chinese. I'll be sure to mention when I have my first all-Chinese dream. That will be an exciting day indeed.
Edit
Today, during my language practicum about 大锅饭时代 (literally "big pot food time," when everyone in China was guaranteed work), I discovered that I really enjoy speaking with the local people in a casual, non-academic setting. This is something I could not possibly have predicted when I first got to Beijing. I should try doing it more often from now on.
2008/07/20
An Olympic weekend, sort of
As you might be able to tell from the title's lame pun, this entry is a double feature! First up is my impression of Olympics-era Beijing. Then I have the usual account of my busy busy weekend.
So, what's the biggest change around here lately? Ask any DSICP or CNU student, and he/she will probably tell you that it's the increased security on campus. Starting about a week ago, the guards started checking for ID at any and every entrance of CNU. This means that if I want to get to my dorm, I have to go through the guard at the main gate in addition to the guards at either of the entrances I use to enter my building. They even check when my friends and I return from playing basketball, even though they clearly see us leaving an hour earlier. This is the very definition of mafan--I can only hope they don't get even stricter.
Other (probably more significant) changes I've seen including the following: longer streaks of what I refer to in my head as "mountain days" (that is, days when I can see the mountains from my room), increased prevalence of catchy Olympics slogans around the city ("同一个世界，同一个梦想" and "迎奥运，讲文明，树新风" being the two most common), more and more foreigners everywhere, less traffic because of the government's new even/odd policy, and the disappearance of the small vendors that before were ubiquitous to Beijing's sidewalks and bridges. I guess you could say that Beijing is starting to take on the characteristics of any other Olympics city--more hospitable to the incoming surge of tourists, at the expense of some of its own local flavor. It's unfortunate that I never got to experience pre-Olympics Beijing, but the city's current liveliness and atmosphere are exciting in their own right.
One last thing about the Olympics here... I have to say that Beijing's mascot campaign is brilliant. Dubbed 福娃 (fuwa, good-luck dolls), each of the five mascots represents a different sport, a different element, and a different aspect of Chinese culture. Furthermore, not only are their names (Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini) plausible nicknames for small children, but when strung together, they spell out "Beijing huanying ni," which means "Beijing welcomes you." Clever? Yes. Cheesy? Awesomely so. Of course, my favorite fuwa is Jingjing, who, on top of being a panda (my favorite animal), represents shooting (my favorite sport). I proudly admit that as of last Tuesday, I became the owner of my very own Jingjing, albeit a cheap version whose "Beijing" is spelled "Bejing." It's the thought that counts, anyway.
If that's not the coolest image I've ever seen, I don't know what is.
So on to my weekend. Friday was nice; after Chinese table at the most delicious Chinese restaurant I've been to yet, and a long afternoon nap, I went to dinner with Zhou Laoshi (of Chinese 115 fame) and Dean Marichal Gentry (the new Yale Dean of Student Affairs). We ate roast duck, Beijing's signature dish, for free, so I was happy of course. I also got to meet up with some CET people, though I was a little disappointed because I thought all the Light Fellows in Beijing would be there. Alas. That night, my language partner, her friend, my friends, and I went to the KTV place near campus and sang our hearts out. It was pretty awesome, as evinced by the fact that we got back at 3:30 am.
On Saturday, I finally visited Beijing Zoo, surprisingly not with other DSICPers but rather with my Yale friend Keira Lu, who is currently living and taking classes in Beijing. The weather was unbearably hot, which made the animals (and me) a little sluggish. I did get to see the pandas in a marginally conscious state though, and was thus ecstatic. Afterwards, we rode a boat along the river that runs through the zoo, checked out a few more animals and a nearby Buddhist temple, returned to CNU and ate at the Korean/Japanese restaurant downstairs, and watched a Korean movie before Keira had to go.
That night was the big Yale Club of Beijing barbecue, which I decided to check out despite the steep entrance fee of 120 RMB. In retrospect, the little bit of meat that I did get to eat was definitely not worth so much money--fortunately, the opportunity to meet up with both old friends and new freshmen made up for it. After the BBQ ended, several of us from DSICP and CET went to a nearby Partyworld for KTV action. It was my second night of karaoke in a row, but I enjoyed it immensely anyway. Too bad karaoke is expensive and requires a group of people; otherwise, I think I'd be going nearly every night.
Today, I checked out a different location of the international church I've been attending. This one was pretty far away--about 45 RMB by taxi--but it was also much bigger and had more people I know (like Alice!). After service, I bought a new pendant for my necklace at the bookstore (恩典, endian, grace) and then went to a nearby restaurant called Peter's TexMex. Wow, so good. I guess the Los Angeles side of me has been missing Mexican food, because I ate two burritos and was still hungry. Fortunately, I was able to restrain myself (besides ordering a flurry for desert). Sigh, I already want more.
And that brings us to today evening, when we Yalies went to see the kung fu/ballet/acrobatics show that all the other DSICPers had watched on Friday. Despite my lack of enthusiasm (largely fatigue from doing so much this weekend), I thoroughly enjoyed the show, though not the storyline so much as the actual performances within each act. Some of the things that the monks pulled off were pretty superhuman--one of them lied down across several swords, placed a sheet of needles on his chest, and had someone else lie on top of that, among other things. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of dedication and training necessary for such feats. Studying Chinese is hard enough for me.
I'm a little behind on editing my recent photos, but I promise that the next entry will have at least a few. I also promise to have decided whether I'm participating in the upcoming speech competition by then. Farewell, farewell!
So, what's the biggest change around here lately? Ask any DSICP or CNU student, and he/she will probably tell you that it's the increased security on campus. Starting about a week ago, the guards started checking for ID at any and every entrance of CNU. This means that if I want to get to my dorm, I have to go through the guard at the main gate in addition to the guards at either of the entrances I use to enter my building. They even check when my friends and I return from playing basketball, even though they clearly see us leaving an hour earlier. This is the very definition of mafan--I can only hope they don't get even stricter.
Other (probably more significant) changes I've seen including the following: longer streaks of what I refer to in my head as "mountain days" (that is, days when I can see the mountains from my room), increased prevalence of catchy Olympics slogans around the city ("同一个世界，同一个梦想" and "迎奥运，讲文明，树新风" being the two most common), more and more foreigners everywhere, less traffic because of the government's new even/odd policy, and the disappearance of the small vendors that before were ubiquitous to Beijing's sidewalks and bridges. I guess you could say that Beijing is starting to take on the characteristics of any other Olympics city--more hospitable to the incoming surge of tourists, at the expense of some of its own local flavor. It's unfortunate that I never got to experience pre-Olympics Beijing, but the city's current liveliness and atmosphere are exciting in their own right.
One last thing about the Olympics here... I have to say that Beijing's mascot campaign is brilliant. Dubbed 福娃 (fuwa, good-luck dolls), each of the five mascots represents a different sport, a different element, and a different aspect of Chinese culture. Furthermore, not only are their names (Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying, and Nini) plausible nicknames for small children, but when strung together, they spell out "Beijing huanying ni," which means "Beijing welcomes you." Clever? Yes. Cheesy? Awesomely so. Of course, my favorite fuwa is Jingjing, who, on top of being a panda (my favorite animal), represents shooting (my favorite sport). I proudly admit that as of last Tuesday, I became the owner of my very own Jingjing, albeit a cheap version whose "Beijing" is spelled "Bejing." It's the thought that counts, anyway.
If that's not the coolest image I've ever seen, I don't know what is.
So on to my weekend. Friday was nice; after Chinese table at the most delicious Chinese restaurant I've been to yet, and a long afternoon nap, I went to dinner with Zhou Laoshi (of Chinese 115 fame) and Dean Marichal Gentry (the new Yale Dean of Student Affairs). We ate roast duck, Beijing's signature dish, for free, so I was happy of course. I also got to meet up with some CET people, though I was a little disappointed because I thought all the Light Fellows in Beijing would be there. Alas. That night, my language partner, her friend, my friends, and I went to the KTV place near campus and sang our hearts out. It was pretty awesome, as evinced by the fact that we got back at 3:30 am.
On Saturday, I finally visited Beijing Zoo, surprisingly not with other DSICPers but rather with my Yale friend Keira Lu, who is currently living and taking classes in Beijing. The weather was unbearably hot, which made the animals (and me) a little sluggish. I did get to see the pandas in a marginally conscious state though, and was thus ecstatic. Afterwards, we rode a boat along the river that runs through the zoo, checked out a few more animals and a nearby Buddhist temple, returned to CNU and ate at the Korean/Japanese restaurant downstairs, and watched a Korean movie before Keira had to go.
That night was the big Yale Club of Beijing barbecue, which I decided to check out despite the steep entrance fee of 120 RMB. In retrospect, the little bit of meat that I did get to eat was definitely not worth so much money--fortunately, the opportunity to meet up with both old friends and new freshmen made up for it. After the BBQ ended, several of us from DSICP and CET went to a nearby Partyworld for KTV action. It was my second night of karaoke in a row, but I enjoyed it immensely anyway. Too bad karaoke is expensive and requires a group of people; otherwise, I think I'd be going nearly every night.
Today, I checked out a different location of the international church I've been attending. This one was pretty far away--about 45 RMB by taxi--but it was also much bigger and had more people I know (like Alice!). After service, I bought a new pendant for my necklace at the bookstore (恩典, endian, grace) and then went to a nearby restaurant called Peter's TexMex. Wow, so good. I guess the Los Angeles side of me has been missing Mexican food, because I ate two burritos and was still hungry. Fortunately, I was able to restrain myself (besides ordering a flurry for desert). Sigh, I already want more.
And that brings us to today evening, when we Yalies went to see the kung fu/ballet/acrobatics show that all the other DSICPers had watched on Friday. Despite my lack of enthusiasm (largely fatigue from doing so much this weekend), I thoroughly enjoyed the show, though not the storyline so much as the actual performances within each act. Some of the things that the monks pulled off were pretty superhuman--one of them lied down across several swords, placed a sheet of needles on his chest, and had someone else lie on top of that, among other things. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of dedication and training necessary for such feats. Studying Chinese is hard enough for me.
I'm a little behind on editing my recent photos, but I promise that the next entry will have at least a few. I also promise to have decided whether I'm participating in the upcoming speech competition by then. Farewell, farewell!
2008/07/17
A Xi'an you can see!
It's only natural and appropriate that I find myself at Yolanda Coffee uploading photos on the day before an exam. (Note to future Light Fellows: I'm being sarcastic. You're actually supposed to study for exams... or so I've heard.) Anyway, here's my trip to Xi'an, from my camera's perspective.
Beijing west train station. Very crowded. Beware of pickpockets.
My 硬卧 (hard bed). I slept very well, so it was either softer than the name would suggest, or I was very tired. Or both.
Nuclear power plant? What?
Ancient city wall + beautiful skies = good times all around
One day, David shall grasp that lantern and be a light for the world. Until then, he'll just look silly.
I don't really know what's going on here, but I like it.
One of the younger tour guides explaining how the pagoda got its name. Hand motions were essential.
Oh yeah. Fake kung-fu poses for the win.
I took this photo at their request, but they still haven't asked me for a copy. Boo.
The pagoda itself. B&W-ified for added excitement.
View large. Quite possibly the most complicated character I've seen to date.
"Happy is the tender grass, when here your feet do not trespass."
I think David's emerging flower pose compliments the ancient buildings rather nicely.
Huge Muslim temple from the Silk Road era. Probably the most underrated place we visited in Xi'an.
Me again. Sorry.
Da Wang laoshi, Wang Sai laoshi, and the illustrious Ro Ro.
Can it be? Duck shaped jiaozi with duck meat inside? You better believe it!
Tang Dynasty theater show. These guys had serious skill.
Our main tour guide. He gave up speaking only Chinese to us after about five minutes.
I didn't realize so many of the Terra Cotta soldiers are missing heads. I wonder where they've gone.
"Mao Zedong: Man, Not God." They were actually selling this in the gift store.
If you look closely, you can see the outline of an ancient carriage wheel.
The quintessential tourist photo, but B&W-ified because of white balance issues.
Cave home. Can you find Mao?
According to my roommate, these are 小兵马俑 (little Terra Cotta soldiers), and they brought their discoverers 小有名 (little fame). I don't know about the latter claim, but I'm pretty sure these statues and the real Terra Cotta soldiers are from completely different dynasties.
Playing cards on the train ride back. Who's who?
Right then, back to studying Chinese. Just a heads up, my next entry will probably be Olympics-themed, considering how crazy the preparations around Beijing have become recently. 再见！
Beijing west train station. Very crowded. Beware of pickpockets.
My 硬卧 (hard bed). I slept very well, so it was either softer than the name would suggest, or I was very tired. Or both.
Nuclear power plant? What?
Ancient city wall + beautiful skies = good times all around
One day, David shall grasp that lantern and be a light for the world. Until then, he'll just look silly.
I don't really know what's going on here, but I like it.
One of the younger tour guides explaining how the pagoda got its name. Hand motions were essential.
Oh yeah. Fake kung-fu poses for the win.
I took this photo at their request, but they still haven't asked me for a copy. Boo.
The pagoda itself. B&W-ified for added excitement.
View large. Quite possibly the most complicated character I've seen to date.
"Happy is the tender grass, when here your feet do not trespass."
I think David's emerging flower pose compliments the ancient buildings rather nicely.
Huge Muslim temple from the Silk Road era. Probably the most underrated place we visited in Xi'an.
Me again. Sorry.
Da Wang laoshi, Wang Sai laoshi, and the illustrious Ro Ro.
Can it be? Duck shaped jiaozi with duck meat inside? You better believe it!
Tang Dynasty theater show. These guys had serious skill.
Our main tour guide. He gave up speaking only Chinese to us after about five minutes.
I didn't realize so many of the Terra Cotta soldiers are missing heads. I wonder where they've gone.
"Mao Zedong: Man, Not God." They were actually selling this in the gift store.
If you look closely, you can see the outline of an ancient carriage wheel.
The quintessential tourist photo, but B&W-ified because of white balance issues.
Cave home. Can you find Mao?
According to my roommate, these are 小兵马俑 (little Terra Cotta soldiers), and they brought their discoverers 小有名 (little fame). I don't know about the latter claim, but I'm pretty sure these statues and the real Terra Cotta soldiers are from completely different dynasties.
Playing cards on the train ride back. Who's who?
Right then, back to studying Chinese. Just a heads up, my next entry will probably be Olympics-themed, considering how crazy the preparations around Beijing have become recently. 再见！
2008/07/14
西安, and inspired thoughts
Because this past weekend was midterm weekend, DSICP gave everyone the option of going to Xi'an, Shanxi, or a Shaolin temple for a long 旅行 (sorry, I'm too tired to think of the English translation at the moment). I, like 90% of the students, chose Xi'an, despite Zhao Laoshi's insistence that it has nothing interesting besides the Terra Cotta Soldiers. In retrospect, he was largely correct, but I had a good time nonetheless.
First things first: the train ride to and from Xi'an was pretty awesome. It was a 13.5 hour ride, so our car had 硬卧 (hard beds) to sleep on. All the rooms were connected by a narrow hallway, where a lot of people hung out, drank, or just talked. We departed pretty late on Friday night, so after watching Il Mare with Eileen and Sunny, I pretty much knocked out and did not wake up until late the next morning, when the laoshis began taking pictures of me with my panda doll. (So not cool.) The train ride back was a little more eventful. First, I did some magic for my friends and ended up teaching them a simple trick, which they have yet to master. Then we played Texas Hold'em for jelly candies, and I won by a fluke. Afterwards, my friend and I tried checking out car #8, which was supposed to be a restaurant, but we found out that they had absolutely no food left. Most unfortunate. Since we had nothing else to do, Sunny, Eileen, and I ended up watching Taegukki, a very sad but excellently made movie about the Korean war. Then I slept, of course. I haven't taken a sleeper train since my trip to the UK in tenth grade, so this was definitely an interesting experience.
Now, on to Xi'an itself. The hotel we stayed at, besides being remarkably close to the train station, completely exceeded my expectations in terms of quality and service. The buffet style restaurant on the fourth floor had both Chinese and American food, in addition to... wait for it... fresh fruit! Our rooms were enormous, and the bathrooms had real shower stalls, though the towels' drying ability left something to be desired. We also got free (fast) internet service; unfortunately, I couldn't find the time to upload my photos, so that'll have to wait until my next trip to Yolanda. After arriving, eating at the restaurant, and freshening up, the group went out to visit a few tourist attractions, including the ancient city wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda (or something like that), a terra cotta factory where we got to make (but not keep) our own miniature terra cotta soldiers, a huge Muslim temple, and a specialty jiaozi restaurant with seventeen different kinds of jiaozi and a Tang Dynasty theater show. That night, a bunch of people went out to visit the night market or check out Xi'an's nightlife, but my roommate and I just slept. I know, sort of lame, but sometimes it just happens.
The next day was the main event. We went to the 兵马俑 (Terra Cotta Soldiers) site and spent several hours visiting the various pits while listening to the tour guide explain the history and significance of the discovery. It's one thing to learn about the terra cotta soldiers in history class, and another thing entirely to see them in person. It still blows my mind how the ancient Chinese had the technology or the patience to create so many statues with such detail. It's a feeling that can't really be described with words, I suppose. I wish we could have spent more time looking at the figures and checking out the various exhibits, but there's only so much you can do in a weekend. After 兵马俑, we visited a cave house, which was not at all like the primitive dwellings depicted in dinosaur movies. The actual cave part of the house consisted of a bed, a small TV, and limited furniture inside a half-cylinder shaped room carved into the earth. To be honest, it looked rather cozy. Could I actually live in such a place? Who knows.
One thing I noticed about Xi'an is that the number of beggars seems to be much higher, particularly in proportion to the population. In addition, many of the beggars are crippled, some to the point that I can't imagine how they get by with even just everyday life. For example, at the ancient city wall, I saw a man missing his right arm and right leg, with just an old wooden cane for support. This in itself took my breath away, but afterwards I saw that he had only collected enough donation money to carry in one hand, and that most people didn't even give him a second glance as they passed by. If China's socialism couldn't address the existence of such huge disparities between the quality of life for the rich and for the poor, what happens to the disadvantaged now that China is becoming more and more capitalistic?
On the other hand, as I go about living in China, as it were, I often catch myself feeling sorry for the Chinese people that I encounter on a day-to-day basis, simply because they don't make as much money as I do, and therefore can't afford to buy as any luxury products. This is incredibly arrogant on my part. Who am I to assume that because they can't afford luxuries, their lives are not happy? Sometimes I feel like this is a consequence of me not being able to really connect with them, which is easily possible given my relatively nice living conditions and painfully artificial Chinese language environment. I would love to be able to spend time living among common Chinese people, learning how they live, what they live for, and whether they're really all that different from me after all. Unfortunately, I realize that I won't have this kind of opportunity this summer, which is why I've seriously started to consider coming back to China in the future, or maybe even after I graduate.
Which brings me to my last point of interest. Having already spoken to several people who came to China after college, including an investment banker, a pastor, and, today, the CEO of McDonalds in China, I'm starting to realize that the opportunities for a foreigner looking for short-, medium-, or even long-term work in China are growing exponentially by the day. This may just be a fleeting fantasy, but seeing as how I'm aiming to earn a technical degree at Yale anyway (astronomy and physics, to be specific), I might come here to work at a company that needs people with critical thinking and problem solving skills for however long seems appropriate, and then return to America to continue on the traditional researcher route.
But for now, I should stop fantasizing and study for tomorrow's quiz. Thus, after a long and fruitful weekend, I sign off until the inevitable Xi'an photo post. Bye bye!
Edit
Ah yes, I forgot to mention one thing. On the train ride to Xi'an, my panda doll disappeared, which made me quite sad. On the ride back, I happened to find it on someone else's bed (most serendipitous, I'd say) and thus rather happily went to sleep, reunited with my friend. When I woke up though, it had disappeared once again, this time leaving a disheartening note describing the reasons for its departure. I hope it comes back before I leave China.
(Sunny, if you're reading this, I hope you know that you've unofficially declared war. Be forewarned.)
First things first: the train ride to and from Xi'an was pretty awesome. It was a 13.5 hour ride, so our car had 硬卧 (hard beds) to sleep on. All the rooms were connected by a narrow hallway, where a lot of people hung out, drank, or just talked. We departed pretty late on Friday night, so after watching Il Mare with Eileen and Sunny, I pretty much knocked out and did not wake up until late the next morning, when the laoshis began taking pictures of me with my panda doll. (So not cool.) The train ride back was a little more eventful. First, I did some magic for my friends and ended up teaching them a simple trick, which they have yet to master. Then we played Texas Hold'em for jelly candies, and I won by a fluke. Afterwards, my friend and I tried checking out car #8, which was supposed to be a restaurant, but we found out that they had absolutely no food left. Most unfortunate. Since we had nothing else to do, Sunny, Eileen, and I ended up watching Taegukki, a very sad but excellently made movie about the Korean war. Then I slept, of course. I haven't taken a sleeper train since my trip to the UK in tenth grade, so this was definitely an interesting experience.
Now, on to Xi'an itself. The hotel we stayed at, besides being remarkably close to the train station, completely exceeded my expectations in terms of quality and service. The buffet style restaurant on the fourth floor had both Chinese and American food, in addition to... wait for it... fresh fruit! Our rooms were enormous, and the bathrooms had real shower stalls, though the towels' drying ability left something to be desired. We also got free (fast) internet service; unfortunately, I couldn't find the time to upload my photos, so that'll have to wait until my next trip to Yolanda. After arriving, eating at the restaurant, and freshening up, the group went out to visit a few tourist attractions, including the ancient city wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda (or something like that), a terra cotta factory where we got to make (but not keep) our own miniature terra cotta soldiers, a huge Muslim temple, and a specialty jiaozi restaurant with seventeen different kinds of jiaozi and a Tang Dynasty theater show. That night, a bunch of people went out to visit the night market or check out Xi'an's nightlife, but my roommate and I just slept. I know, sort of lame, but sometimes it just happens.
The next day was the main event. We went to the 兵马俑 (Terra Cotta Soldiers) site and spent several hours visiting the various pits while listening to the tour guide explain the history and significance of the discovery. It's one thing to learn about the terra cotta soldiers in history class, and another thing entirely to see them in person. It still blows my mind how the ancient Chinese had the technology or the patience to create so many statues with such detail. It's a feeling that can't really be described with words, I suppose. I wish we could have spent more time looking at the figures and checking out the various exhibits, but there's only so much you can do in a weekend. After 兵马俑, we visited a cave house, which was not at all like the primitive dwellings depicted in dinosaur movies. The actual cave part of the house consisted of a bed, a small TV, and limited furniture inside a half-cylinder shaped room carved into the earth. To be honest, it looked rather cozy. Could I actually live in such a place? Who knows.
One thing I noticed about Xi'an is that the number of beggars seems to be much higher, particularly in proportion to the population. In addition, many of the beggars are crippled, some to the point that I can't imagine how they get by with even just everyday life. For example, at the ancient city wall, I saw a man missing his right arm and right leg, with just an old wooden cane for support. This in itself took my breath away, but afterwards I saw that he had only collected enough donation money to carry in one hand, and that most people didn't even give him a second glance as they passed by. If China's socialism couldn't address the existence of such huge disparities between the quality of life for the rich and for the poor, what happens to the disadvantaged now that China is becoming more and more capitalistic?
On the other hand, as I go about living in China, as it were, I often catch myself feeling sorry for the Chinese people that I encounter on a day-to-day basis, simply because they don't make as much money as I do, and therefore can't afford to buy as any luxury products. This is incredibly arrogant on my part. Who am I to assume that because they can't afford luxuries, their lives are not happy? Sometimes I feel like this is a consequence of me not being able to really connect with them, which is easily possible given my relatively nice living conditions and painfully artificial Chinese language environment. I would love to be able to spend time living among common Chinese people, learning how they live, what they live for, and whether they're really all that different from me after all. Unfortunately, I realize that I won't have this kind of opportunity this summer, which is why I've seriously started to consider coming back to China in the future, or maybe even after I graduate.
Which brings me to my last point of interest. Having already spoken to several people who came to China after college, including an investment banker, a pastor, and, today, the CEO of McDonalds in China, I'm starting to realize that the opportunities for a foreigner looking for short-, medium-, or even long-term work in China are growing exponentially by the day. This may just be a fleeting fantasy, but seeing as how I'm aiming to earn a technical degree at Yale anyway (astronomy and physics, to be specific), I might come here to work at a company that needs people with critical thinking and problem solving skills for however long seems appropriate, and then return to America to continue on the traditional researcher route.
But for now, I should stop fantasizing and study for tomorrow's quiz. Thus, after a long and fruitful weekend, I sign off until the inevitable Xi'an photo post. Bye bye!
Edit
Ah yes, I forgot to mention one thing. On the train ride to Xi'an, my panda doll disappeared, which made me quite sad. On the ride back, I happened to find it on someone else's bed (most serendipitous, I'd say) and thus rather happily went to sleep, reunited with my friend. When I woke up though, it had disappeared once again, this time leaving a disheartening note describing the reasons for its departure. I hope it comes back before I leave China.
(Sunny, if you're reading this, I hope you know that you've unofficially declared war. Be forewarned.)
2008/07/09
The past two weeks, in photographic summary
Sooo... Today I discovered that I can use Mac OSX's Automator application to utilize Preview's hidden resize function, enabling me to batch resize all of my photos. I know I just updated yesterday and clearly stated that my next post wouldn't be until after my midterm on Friday, but I think in light of new circumstances, this monster picture post is justifiable.
By the way, if you own a Mac and would also like to know a simple method for batch resizing photos that doesn't require third-party software, send me an email at james [dot] kim [at] yale [dot] edu, and I'd be glad to send you the instructions.
One last thing: I'm terribly sorry if you're trying to read other posts on the Light Fellowship Google Reader page, and the text keeps moving down because of this post. I know how annoying that can be. Anyway, without further ado, here are the photos:
One more picture from the Great Wall. This is the "forbidden" section that a bunch of us explored anyway. Yes, the white stuff is actually fog.
At the request of my mom, I uploaded a photo with myself in it. Hi 엄마!
A duck/goose at the park we went to for our language practicum. They didn't fear humans.
The only picture I have of Sunny not trying to avoid the camera. Go Eileen for always being photo-friendly!
Awesome sword lady. I hope she didn't mind me taking pictures.
Chinese parks are definitely prettier than American parks.
Yeah, 打 that 太极拳.
For an entire five minutes, I watched this guy repeatedly body slam a tree and slap himself on the chest. What a man.
Chinese "disco." We like.
The view from my dorm room window on an especially clear day. The government's cloud seeding tactics must be working, because the incidence of clear days has gone up drastically recently. Awesome, except for the whole rain-every-other-day bit.
Behold, Pejoy. You know you want some.
Behind these pedestrians lies what I like to call the Intersection of Doom. "Why," you ask, "aren't those traffic lights in the background?" Turns out, they don't work. The ensuing congestion sort of defeats the purpose of the intersection.
Obligatory "blurry moving train" photo.
Eating Korean BBQ in Wudaokou. So much, so good.
The only photo I managed to take in Tous Les Jours before the fuwuyuan told me to stop. TLJ's 蛋挞 (egg tarts) are okay, but not as good as KFC's.
Enjoying the scenery at Yiheyuan.
The dragon boat we took to cross the lake. Scary, isn't it?
Jihoon, one of the first non-Yale people I got to know in China.
Can't you just hear the sound "Blaghhh!" coming out of his mouth?
Inside the dragon boat. David is probably explaining how important Mu Laoshi is.
The Korean posse, looking pretty slick.
View from the top. It's hard to make out in this small version, but the little dots in the background are all boats.
What, did you think the bathrooms in China were exempt from the Olympics reforms?
My language partner, 吗静 (Ma Jing). I forget what she was pointing at.
Pam, trying to hide behind my sunglasses (to no avail).
Aww. Awwww.
Happy! (We soon found out that the restaurant in the background doesn't sell ice cream. Not so happy, rawr.)
风景一定不错！
General silliness all around. Did you know that that giant dragon thing is actually a kite? I didn't.
Pam's yuban/my yuban's best friend, Meng Ran. She was amused by something, apparently.
Inspecting the label (probably the ingredients, since Chinese food labels don't have nutrition information).
By the way, if you own a Mac and would also like to know a simple method for batch resizing photos that doesn't require third-party software, send me an email at james [dot] kim [at] yale [dot] edu, and I'd be glad to send you the instructions.
One last thing: I'm terribly sorry if you're trying to read other posts on the Light Fellowship Google Reader page, and the text keeps moving down because of this post. I know how annoying that can be. Anyway, without further ado, here are the photos:
One more picture from the Great Wall. This is the "forbidden" section that a bunch of us explored anyway. Yes, the white stuff is actually fog.
At the request of my mom, I uploaded a photo with myself in it. Hi 엄마!
A duck/goose at the park we went to for our language practicum. They didn't fear humans.
The only picture I have of Sunny not trying to avoid the camera. Go Eileen for always being photo-friendly!
Awesome sword lady. I hope she didn't mind me taking pictures.
Chinese parks are definitely prettier than American parks.
Yeah, 打 that 太极拳.
For an entire five minutes, I watched this guy repeatedly body slam a tree and slap himself on the chest. What a man.
Chinese "disco." We like.
The view from my dorm room window on an especially clear day. The government's cloud seeding tactics must be working, because the incidence of clear days has gone up drastically recently. Awesome, except for the whole rain-every-other-day bit.
Behold, Pejoy. You know you want some.
Behind these pedestrians lies what I like to call the Intersection of Doom. "Why," you ask, "aren't those traffic lights in the background?" Turns out, they don't work. The ensuing congestion sort of defeats the purpose of the intersection.
Obligatory "blurry moving train" photo.
Eating Korean BBQ in Wudaokou. So much, so good.
The only photo I managed to take in Tous Les Jours before the fuwuyuan told me to stop. TLJ's 蛋挞 (egg tarts) are okay, but not as good as KFC's.
Enjoying the scenery at Yiheyuan.
The dragon boat we took to cross the lake. Scary, isn't it?
Jihoon, one of the first non-Yale people I got to know in China.
Can't you just hear the sound "Blaghhh!" coming out of his mouth?
Inside the dragon boat. David is probably explaining how important Mu Laoshi is.
The Korean posse, looking pretty slick.
View from the top. It's hard to make out in this small version, but the little dots in the background are all boats.
What, did you think the bathrooms in China were exempt from the Olympics reforms?
My language partner, 吗静 (Ma Jing). I forget what she was pointing at.
Pam, trying to hide behind my sunglasses (to no avail).
Aww. Awwww.
Happy! (We soon found out that the restaurant in the background doesn't sell ice cream. Not so happy, rawr.)
风景一定不错！
General silliness all around. Did you know that that giant dragon thing is actually a kite? I didn't.
Pam's yuban/my yuban's best friend, Meng Ran. She was amused by something, apparently.
Inspecting the label (probably the ingredients, since Chinese food labels don't have nutrition information).
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