Still dreaming of China
I've traveled a lot in my various jobs but I've never had the hang-over from a country like China.
Maybe its being a Sinophile for years, maybe the martial arts, but I find my self daydreaming 
about my brief time in China. It's funny because Japan, Korea, and Taiwan didn't affect me like this. I'm glad to be home, if for no other reason than to rescue my chair from that dog, but I'd go back in a heartbeat. So in no real order my memories of my too brief time in the Kingdom under Heaven.
- Beijing and Taijin are both cities of amazing contrasts: in some parts its almost first world and in other parts you have people living in old style four sided courtyards bathing and drinking from a well or central tap. In my case, I could see this from my hotel window. No one stopped you from wandering in those little streets
either but often I had to walk sideways as I was too broad to walk straight.
- The Chinese people retain the politeness and kindness to strangers of my uncle's stories despite the street vendors tendency to see outsiders as walking wallets. And you need to bargain for dang near everything..
.
- Chinese women seem to always be holding someone's arm. I don't think I saw two of them together where they weren't holding arms or hands. You see it with men too especially as you get out of the tourist areas.
- Everyone seems to give you gifts. You learn to keep small return gifts in your pocket for that unexpected thank-you.
- The food is amazing. It's excellent in the tourist areas and if you are nuts enough
to wander off and eat in the local diner-equivalents, its amazing. Food is taken very very seriously here and even tourist traps, like some of the Peking Duck places, service food that is as good as anything. We really don't get more than a hint in the States of the breadth and depth of what Chinese food includes. Everything from 
lamb kidneys grilled with red pepper and served on a pickled cabbage like sauerkraut to noodles with meat sauce to divinely delicate dumplings filled with sweets - it was all good.
- One doesn't talk about politics. However, there is a tremendous amount of pride and patriotism here and it is very evident. As one native mentioned over drinks, China is always China. The pride and optimism of the people, the pro-China position at the University, the belief China has a role to play in the world is very different from the feel one gets of the US, especially through the international press.
- The size and ethnic diversity in many ways exceeds that of the US. The outer
provinces are much more different from the culture of Beijing than the South is from California or New England. However, the emphasis is on common language and assimilation. This together with the last, it is worrisome. I'm encouraging both boys to learn 
Chinese...
- The Universities seem to be quite strong and they also seem to be teaching the kids to think creatively. Buildings and such may be older but the equipment and texts are current. Most scientists and engineers have a lot more English than I do Chinese.
- By the way, the hand sign the girls always give in photos? (It was dang hard to get un-posed shots with them. I think I managed two or three in the trip.) It's not peace but victory. Interestingly, many of them wear a cross without having the faith. It's good luck?
-The
restoration of the Temple of Heaven and the parts of the Forbidden City are amazing. The Forbidden City is hard to grasp as it is and when its finished, awe inspiring will be mild for it. I missed seeing the Summer Palace and the Great Wall, both of which are being tuned up for the Olympics, which start on 8-8-08. The ruins from the French and English shelling of Beijing are not but the young are very aware of what the west did then. And they still remember the Flying Tigers, even the younger generation knows about them, Stillman, etc.
- Eights are lucky, hence the starting date above. Fours are bad luck and buildings often do not have a fourth floor. Like 13 in the USA...
-Chinese toilets....lets just say it is an experience one should avoid, especially with bad knees. Probably the only unpleasant thing in the trip, except for the pollution in Beijing.
-Beijing is making major and drastic efforts to prepare for the Olympics. Adding signs in roman letters, reducing pollution, re-imaging the police force as friendly... They really plan to make this a show place.
In many ways, I'm glad I saw it before all that happens.
- Pandas...what can you say? Concentrated cuteness. Red or lesser pandas are even cuter and I think they are missing a marketing opportunity there.
-Someone told me if you stand at the center of the world, you will come back before you die. I hope it's true. If I were younger, or more precisely, if I didn't have kids approaching college age, I'd be trying to convince the goddess we should consider working there for a few years.
UPDATE: Reading this with my morning conference call, reminds me that I should say that I am not making the error of the two gentlemen mentioned in that post. China is not perfect and I am under no illusions about the political and social realities there. It is however very different from the US and that alone makes we wish I could take the boys. Especially considering it will be the next rival superpower, I think it is very important we understand it as much as possible.
Maybe its being a Sinophile for years, maybe the martial arts, but I find my self daydreaming about my brief time in China. It's funny because Japan, Korea, and Taiwan didn't affect me like this. I'm glad to be home, if for no other reason than to rescue my chair from that dog, but I'd go back in a heartbeat. So in no real order my memories of my too brief time in the Kingdom under Heaven. - Beijing and Taijin are both cities of amazing contrasts: in some parts its almost first world and in other parts you have people living in old style four sided courtyards bathing and drinking from a well or central tap. In my case, I could see this from my hotel window. No one stopped you from wandering in those little streets
either but often I had to walk sideways as I was too broad to walk straight.- The Chinese people retain the politeness and kindness to strangers of my uncle's stories despite the street vendors tendency to see outsiders as walking wallets. And you need to bargain for dang near everything..
. - Chinese women seem to always be holding someone's arm. I don't think I saw two of them together where they weren't holding arms or hands. You see it with men too especially as you get out of the tourist areas.
- Everyone seems to give you gifts. You learn to keep small return gifts in your pocket for that unexpected thank-you.
- The food is amazing. It's excellent in the tourist areas and if you are nuts enough
to wander off and eat in the local diner-equivalents, its amazing. Food is taken very very seriously here and even tourist traps, like some of the Peking Duck places, service food that is as good as anything. We really don't get more than a hint in the States of the breadth and depth of what Chinese food includes. Everything from lamb kidneys grilled with red pepper and served on a pickled cabbage like sauerkraut to noodles with meat sauce to divinely delicate dumplings filled with sweets - it was all good.- One doesn't talk about politics. However, there is a tremendous amount of pride and patriotism here and it is very evident. As one native mentioned over drinks, China is always China. The pride and optimism of the people, the pro-China position at the University, the belief China has a role to play in the world is very different from the feel one gets of the US, especially through the international press.
- The size and ethnic diversity in many ways exceeds that of the US. The outer
provinces are much more different from the culture of Beijing than the South is from California or New England. However, the emphasis is on common language and assimilation. This together with the last, it is worrisome. I'm encouraging both boys to learn Chinese...- The Universities seem to be quite strong and they also seem to be teaching the kids to think creatively. Buildings and such may be older but the equipment and texts are current. Most scientists and engineers have a lot more English than I do Chinese.
- By the way, the hand sign the girls always give in photos? (It was dang hard to get un-posed shots with them. I think I managed two or three in the trip.) It's not peace but victory. Interestingly, many of them wear a cross without having the faith. It's good luck?
-The
restoration of the Temple of Heaven and the parts of the Forbidden City are amazing. The Forbidden City is hard to grasp as it is and when its finished, awe inspiring will be mild for it. I missed seeing the Summer Palace and the Great Wall, both of which are being tuned up for the Olympics, which start on 8-8-08. The ruins from the French and English shelling of Beijing are not but the young are very aware of what the west did then. And they still remember the Flying Tigers, even the younger generation knows about them, Stillman, etc.- Eights are lucky, hence the starting date above. Fours are bad luck and buildings often do not have a fourth floor. Like 13 in the USA...
-Chinese toilets....lets just say it is an experience one should avoid, especially with bad knees. Probably the only unpleasant thing in the trip, except for the pollution in Beijing.
-Beijing is making major and drastic efforts to prepare for the Olympics. Adding signs in roman letters, reducing pollution, re-imaging the police force as friendly... They really plan to make this a show place.
In many ways, I'm glad I saw it before all that happens.- Pandas...what can you say? Concentrated cuteness. Red or lesser pandas are even cuter and I think they are missing a marketing opportunity there.
-Someone told me if you stand at the center of the world, you will come back before you die. I hope it's true. If I were younger, or more precisely, if I didn't have kids approaching college age, I'd be trying to convince the goddess we should consider working there for a few years.
UPDATE: Reading this with my morning conference call, reminds me that I should say that I am not making the error of the two gentlemen mentioned in that post. China is not perfect and I am under no illusions about the political and social realities there. It is however very different from the US and that alone makes we wish I could take the boys. Especially considering it will be the next rival superpower, I think it is very important we understand it as much as possible.
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