Entries: China places & sights

Not in Shanghai Anymore

We’ve quickly realized that Beijing is not Shanghai.  So far, we’ve spotted very few western signs in this capital city.  Shanghai had many English signs and more western faces on the streets.  We haven’t see much of that so far. Our hotel is located in the Haidian district of northwest Beijing.  There are several universities in the vicinity—Beijing University, Tsinghua University and Beijing Institute of Technology.  Our bus trip from the Beijing Railway station took us past Tiananmen Square were some of us snapped photos of the Gate to the Forbidden City. 

Walk through Zhujiajiao

A picture is worth a 1,000 words

A man combing the shoreline for fish. After a few tries, he caught the first fish, which is in the green net hanging from his mouth, to enthusiastic tourist applause

Where's the Communism?

On the way back from the rural town of Zhujiajiao, we drove past a gigantic billboard next to a tollbooth.  Starting with a Shanghai skyline picture and ending in a set of tall, cookiecutter apartment buildings, the sprawling text was the first absolute evidence that we’re in a country that still espouses Communism: “Make efforts to build a greater socialistic progressive society!  Speed up the urbanization of the Qingpu District!”

Earlier that day, the Jing’an Temple unveiled a giant new pillared statue.  It couldn’t go without an extravagant ceremony, complete with rows of government and temple dignitaries (keep in mind that almost all religious organizations require government permission to operate), giving speeches in front of a large backdrop.  It took several minutes just to make sure the name placards were placed on the tables in exactly the right order.  It brought to my mind the tightly-structured Communist Party conferences, with giant slogans and rows and rows of higher-ups.

Beyond that, though, there have been very few overt signs of totalitarianism—in its place is something that leaders call “capitalism with Chinese characteristics.”  Customs was a breeze, the police seem relatively passive, daily life goes on, and the late Chairman Mao has been relegated to a statue or two as well as the fronts of all our cash.  One theory is that Shanghai is the most Western of Chinese cities, and Beijing holds a different story.  We shall see later this week.

Taiji in the Park

I woke up particularly early this morning to check out what others have said—that Shanghai’s parks are filled with taiji (or tai chi) practitioners.  It’s confirmed!  Jing’an Park lies caddycorner to our hotel, and this morning it’s packed.  Every few feet there’s a group of 5-15 people, mostly elderly, slowly working on their forms.  Some are doing the same with red-tasseled swords, but as one woman demonstrates, a rolled-up magazine does the trick too.  Others choose a bit quicker pace, jumping and kicking to music playing from a nearby cassette player—though I have a suspicion that they’re working on aerobics rather than any ancient martial art.

Two subway stops down in the less parklike Renmin (People’s) Square, a few other aerobics groups are at it, along with a lone, traditionally-garbed man practicing besides one of the park’s landmark statues.  I felt more at peace just watching him.

Speaking of martial arts, I’m trying to make final plans to head west to the city of Zhengzhou, then south to the smaller town of Dengfeng, where Demitri Daniels has arrived for training.  You saw his picture in an earlier post.  It may mean traveling from here, or I may travel with the group tomorrow night to Beijing and make my western trip after that. 

Woman doing taiji in the Park:
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People's Park.

A country of many faces

Today we saw yet another face to China - Zhujiajiao, one of Shanghai’s best preserved historical and cultural towns. Its stone paths, arch bridges, peaceful river and ancient architecture eminates a serenity that is rare and beautiful to behold. Truly, my breath was taken away. I took more than 100 pictures but those cannot come close to capturing the town’s old magic.

As we meandered along, beggars, mostly old women, often wearing toothy smiles will reach out their dirt-crusted hands. Everywhere you look, someone is trying to sell something, often homemade, as part of their livelihood: Food, neat gadgets, grass-woven figurines, sandals, a man rubbing his wet hands against the two handles of a pan full of water to frictionize vibration and cause water to sprinkle. More than one mother or grandmother toted a dimply baby on their hip while making their living.

You try to imagine what life is like for them, constantly being invaded by nosy, bustling tourists clueless to your struggles to put food on the table and keep the baby from crying of hunger, and your heart breaks a little. Your mind is aghast at the sheer contrast between this cozy countryside and grand Shanghai with the impressive architecture and flamboyant lights.

I realized our two weeks in Shanghai and Beijing are but seconds against an eternity of history and to understand China, this can only be the beginning.

A line of open windows along the street, much like the way these people have opened their doors and their lives to those coming to sightsee their livelihood

Many people sat atop stone walls or in-between cracks, notebooks open and pencils in hand, to sketch the beautiful scenery

An oasis of plush green in the middle of a man-made lake, surrounded by tall towers, captures the stark contrast of China's past and present