1.4 billion people, 56 ethnic groups, weathers that range from desert heat to mediterranean coolness to Siberian freeze... ... The Middle Kingdom has so much to offer.
For the last 7 weeks, we have seen many parts of China, from walking amid the hundreds years old Pu'er tea, dancing with the colourful Tibetan in the highland, chatting with smiling charismatic coast people, sleeping in ancient Hakka fortified mansion, mesmerized in memory of Old Shanghai, standing in aw in presence of the terricota warriors, and finally falling in love with the mandarin language. All in all, there is still so much to learn and see from a nation so big.
As we sit on the Trans-Mongolian train, looking out as it journeys toward the north, I am thinking I have only seen a little of this middle kingdom and resolve to come back again another day.
- Posted by Mich using BlogPress from my iPhone
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Week 10 - Putonghua
Beijing is bursting with spring as we make our way through the blossoming streets to our hostel to the north of the station. The cool breeze warms in the sun on a bright and cloudless day that repeats itself for the full week of our stay in the north capital.
" 'Bei' is 'north' - 'jing' is 'capital'. 'Dong' is 'east' - 'nan' is 'south' and 'xi' is 'west'. You can remember by Dongjing or Tokyo - east capital, Nanjing - south capital and Xian - west capital. Very simple..." Thus starts five days of intensive drilling on Chinese tones and pinyin pronunciation and my first real appreciation for the fascinating nature of putonghua, the 'common language'.
This is a language of thousands of one syllable words, each with four tones rendering unrelated different meanings. These are strung together to weave longer words the meanings of which are abstracted from the originals with a beautiful soft logic.
Put dong (east) with xi (west) and you get 'dongxi' - meaning things. When looking for things we move our head from side to side, from east to west. Long (second tone) is dragon. Xia (first tone) is shrimp. So - 'longxia' is lobster. Dragons are big and powerful with many good qualities. Project these good qualities onto a shrimp and it transforms it into a lobster. You know it makes sense...
So by learning two or three words you are actually learning four, five or more new words and quickly building vocabulary. However, unless the tone of every word is pronounced precisely, that vocabulary is useless. You find yourself uttering unadulterated gibberish, drawing quizzical looks or blank stares as reward for the effort of committing hundreds of these little alien sounds to memory.
Thirty hours of 'zh ch sh r z c s....' and 400 new words later and I'm starting to realize how long, hard and fascinating this journey into Mandarin is going to be. But perhaps the main battle is won. After years of closed minded dogged resistance to my better half's language, I surprised myself by looking forward to class, eagerly writing up notes and actually enjoying the effort of memorizing vocab. Perhaps our week amongst the blossoms of the north capital will mark my gradual emergence from the shadows into the bright light of Asia...
- Posted by Dave using BlogPress from my iPad
" 'Bei' is 'north' - 'jing' is 'capital'. 'Dong' is 'east' - 'nan' is 'south' and 'xi' is 'west'. You can remember by Dongjing or Tokyo - east capital, Nanjing - south capital and Xian - west capital. Very simple..." Thus starts five days of intensive drilling on Chinese tones and pinyin pronunciation and my first real appreciation for the fascinating nature of putonghua, the 'common language'.
This is a language of thousands of one syllable words, each with four tones rendering unrelated different meanings. These are strung together to weave longer words the meanings of which are abstracted from the originals with a beautiful soft logic.
Put dong (east) with xi (west) and you get 'dongxi' - meaning things. When looking for things we move our head from side to side, from east to west. Long (second tone) is dragon. Xia (first tone) is shrimp. So - 'longxia' is lobster. Dragons are big and powerful with many good qualities. Project these good qualities onto a shrimp and it transforms it into a lobster. You know it makes sense...
So by learning two or three words you are actually learning four, five or more new words and quickly building vocabulary. However, unless the tone of every word is pronounced precisely, that vocabulary is useless. You find yourself uttering unadulterated gibberish, drawing quizzical looks or blank stares as reward for the effort of committing hundreds of these little alien sounds to memory.
Thirty hours of 'zh ch sh r z c s....' and 400 new words later and I'm starting to realize how long, hard and fascinating this journey into Mandarin is going to be. But perhaps the main battle is won. After years of closed minded dogged resistance to my better half's language, I surprised myself by looking forward to class, eagerly writing up notes and actually enjoying the effort of memorizing vocab. Perhaps our week amongst the blossoms of the north capital will mark my gradual emergence from the shadows into the bright light of Asia...
- Posted by Dave using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Beijing, China
Monday, 11 April 2011
Week 9 - Xian
Perhaps having united the Middle Kingdom, Emperor Qin's monumental effort to bury 6,000 full sized pottery soldiers was based on his clairvoyant vision of the river of money that would issue forth 2,500 years later... If so, he was most certainly a visionary as the slick commercial venture of the Terra-cotta Warriors is a sight to behold, both in terms of this undoubtedly remarkable ancient historical wonder and the way it is sold.
Some fifteen years ago, I recall being dropped off by taxi pretty well outside the gate of Pit 1, pushing my way through a throng of trinket sellers to buy my ticket and wandering directly into the main exhibit (Pit 2 being under construction). Having casually wandered around for half an hour, I remember grabbing a corn on the cob from a street stall and hopping back into a cab back to town.
Now it's a case of walking half a kilometer through a vast car park full of coaches and cars, pushing your way through a gaggling throng of smartly dressed official guides to a Disneyland style ticketing office. Ticket in hand you then have to work your way through row upon row of neat souvenir shops, coffee shops, restaurants, book stalls and a multitude of street vendors for a good 20 minutes before reaching the bag scan machines manned by armed security and a battery of ticket turnstiles. For RMB5 per person you can bypass the whole fiasco by golf buggy that runs through a newly built park behind the shops - but only on the way in. There is no avoiding it on the way back. And needless to say the place is packed!
Eves dropping on a bunch of foreigners on the bus back to town discussing the possibility of the whole thing being an elaborate Chinese government scam, made us smile. There was a serious edge to their conversation and if I hadn't seen it back in the '90s, I could have found myself wondering.
All in all, an interesting day trip - the historical value of which is indeed huge but the overall experience a little tiresome. I personally found the 14 km walk around Xian's ancient city wall far more enjoyable, dispute the constant, "Are we there yet?" that seems to be following me around. Next stop - Beijing and a week of intensive Mandarin lessons... roll on Mongolia.
- Posted by Dave using BlogPress from my iPad
Some fifteen years ago, I recall being dropped off by taxi pretty well outside the gate of Pit 1, pushing my way through a throng of trinket sellers to buy my ticket and wandering directly into the main exhibit (Pit 2 being under construction). Having casually wandered around for half an hour, I remember grabbing a corn on the cob from a street stall and hopping back into a cab back to town.
Now it's a case of walking half a kilometer through a vast car park full of coaches and cars, pushing your way through a gaggling throng of smartly dressed official guides to a Disneyland style ticketing office. Ticket in hand you then have to work your way through row upon row of neat souvenir shops, coffee shops, restaurants, book stalls and a multitude of street vendors for a good 20 minutes before reaching the bag scan machines manned by armed security and a battery of ticket turnstiles. For RMB5 per person you can bypass the whole fiasco by golf buggy that runs through a newly built park behind the shops - but only on the way in. There is no avoiding it on the way back. And needless to say the place is packed!
Eves dropping on a bunch of foreigners on the bus back to town discussing the possibility of the whole thing being an elaborate Chinese government scam, made us smile. There was a serious edge to their conversation and if I hadn't seen it back in the '90s, I could have found myself wondering.
All in all, an interesting day trip - the historical value of which is indeed huge but the overall experience a little tiresome. I personally found the 14 km walk around Xian's ancient city wall far more enjoyable, dispute the constant, "Are we there yet?" that seems to be following me around. Next stop - Beijing and a week of intensive Mandarin lessons... roll on Mongolia.
- Posted by Dave using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Xian, China
Week 8 - Hakka Tuluo
Seven hours sat bolt upright on a hard seater train puts us into Yongding in Fujian at 4:30 am in surprisingly good spirits. There is only one reason to be here and the early hour does not perturb the touts from crowding the disembarking passengers offering rides to the areas many Tulou. We are soon whisked off by minivan deep into a countryside which slowly reveals a startling beauty as a watery sun emerges from the pre dawn sky.
The scene that opens before us could not be any further from the sprawling industrial city we have just left behind. The ancient villages in this misty valley are separated by rice paddi and fields of vegetables and made up of perfectly round light brown smooth walled buildings called Tuluo. Built by Hakka migrants 300 to 500 years ago to provide protection to whole clans, some of these four storey buildings have up to 500 rooms laid out in concentric rings radiating from a central open courtyard. I can quite honestly say that I have never seen anything like it.
We are met at the entrance to Liulia village by a small, bespectacled, energetic Chinese fellow intent on carrying my 27 kg rucksack into the Tuolo where we are to stay. He tells us in pretty good English that this sprawling mansion has been in his family for generations leading us through open courtyards, along a narrow corridor and up a flight of rickety wooden steps to our meter thick walled and stone floored room. Clean, simple but a tad cold we all drop into the snuggly beds to catch up on the nights lost sleep.
We spend the afternoon exploring this delightful village - crisscrossing the little bridges across its bubbling stream, taking photos of the water wheels and of course diving in and out of the many Tuluo. Strangely, the cool breeze, gently flowing water, sleepy gift shops and rustic colors put me in mind of Broadway in the Cotswalds, one of my parents' favorite spots, invoking fond childhood memories.
Too soon we are on the road once again this time by minivan, heading north east back to Xiamen where we pick up the train to Shanghai. Brief though it was, I suspect the memory of our trip to Liulia village will endure.
- Posted by Dave using BlogPress from my iPad
The scene that opens before us could not be any further from the sprawling industrial city we have just left behind. The ancient villages in this misty valley are separated by rice paddi and fields of vegetables and made up of perfectly round light brown smooth walled buildings called Tuluo. Built by Hakka migrants 300 to 500 years ago to provide protection to whole clans, some of these four storey buildings have up to 500 rooms laid out in concentric rings radiating from a central open courtyard. I can quite honestly say that I have never seen anything like it.
We are met at the entrance to Liulia village by a small, bespectacled, energetic Chinese fellow intent on carrying my 27 kg rucksack into the Tuolo where we are to stay. He tells us in pretty good English that this sprawling mansion has been in his family for generations leading us through open courtyards, along a narrow corridor and up a flight of rickety wooden steps to our meter thick walled and stone floored room. Clean, simple but a tad cold we all drop into the snuggly beds to catch up on the nights lost sleep.
We spend the afternoon exploring this delightful village - crisscrossing the little bridges across its bubbling stream, taking photos of the water wheels and of course diving in and out of the many Tuluo. Strangely, the cool breeze, gently flowing water, sleepy gift shops and rustic colors put me in mind of Broadway in the Cotswalds, one of my parents' favorite spots, invoking fond childhood memories.
Too soon we are on the road once again this time by minivan, heading north east back to Xiamen where we pick up the train to Shanghai. Brief though it was, I suspect the memory of our trip to Liulia village will endure.
- Posted by Dave using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Yongding, Fujian, China
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Capitals of China
We have been to the 3 major stops of China.
Shanghai - the modern civilization of China. In 1800s, the city went from a sleepy town to the modern trading city ahead of the rest of Asia. In 1920s, Shanghai had been the pearl of asia, leading the trade, fashion, crime of the chinese of Asia. It is interesting to see the contrast between the new and the old. The banking institution buildings built in the early days still stand today. Today, it is still leading the rest of China in term of modernization. Comparing Shanghai to the other places we have visited, I don't think Shanghai is a good representation of China, just like the way London does not represents the rest of it's country.
From Shanghai, the finance capital in china, we crossed over to Xi-an, the ancient capital of China. This was the beginning and end of the Silk Road. It is also here where small kingdoms were unified by Emperor Qin and found China. I believe the common written chinese language were also developed here. Today, what was left was the 600 years old city wall. The rest of the city did not stand still. It is hard to imagine what it was. What brought us here was the 'BinMaYong'. The human size earth-made soldiers buried to accompanied Emperor Qin to the underworld to continue to conquer. Question is if all is created by mind, did emperor Qin conquered the underworld in the end?
Finally, we arrived in Beijing, the capital of china. We got a week here and we have been here many times. Last night, we went to our favorite restaurant, Afunti, a silk road Muslim restaurant that provides food, drink, and
Entertainment. The children really enjoyed it and that begins the last lag of our journey in china.
- Posted by Mich using BlogPress from my iPhone
Shanghai - the modern civilization of China. In 1800s, the city went from a sleepy town to the modern trading city ahead of the rest of Asia. In 1920s, Shanghai had been the pearl of asia, leading the trade, fashion, crime of the chinese of Asia. It is interesting to see the contrast between the new and the old. The banking institution buildings built in the early days still stand today. Today, it is still leading the rest of China in term of modernization. Comparing Shanghai to the other places we have visited, I don't think Shanghai is a good representation of China, just like the way London does not represents the rest of it's country.
From Shanghai, the finance capital in china, we crossed over to Xi-an, the ancient capital of China. This was the beginning and end of the Silk Road. It is also here where small kingdoms were unified by Emperor Qin and found China. I believe the common written chinese language were also developed here. Today, what was left was the 600 years old city wall. The rest of the city did not stand still. It is hard to imagine what it was. What brought us here was the 'BinMaYong'. The human size earth-made soldiers buried to accompanied Emperor Qin to the underworld to continue to conquer. Question is if all is created by mind, did emperor Qin conquered the underworld in the end?
Finally, we arrived in Beijing, the capital of china. We got a week here and we have been here many times. Last night, we went to our favorite restaurant, Afunti, a silk road Muslim restaurant that provides food, drink, and
Entertainment. The children really enjoyed it and that begins the last lag of our journey in china.
- Posted by Mich using BlogPress from my iPhone
Thursday, 31 March 2011
The worst city in China?
We got on the train again, this time back to Guangzhou for 15 hours.
We reached DongGuan Dong train station early in the morning, bought our return journey to Yong Ding, only to discover that we had to travel for other 1.5 hr on local bus to get to see my auntie.
1.5 hour bus journey revealed dreary industrial city that seems to span endlessly in all direction.
80% of the resident come from another place in china. I have come to the conclusion that this is the reason why it is not well taken care of.
Despite this, we are well looked after and fully enjoyed being with family for a day.
The following evening, we made the same journey back to the train station, only to realize that the train tickets we had were seater ticket. This meant a 7 hours train journey into the night, sitting upright.
It could be an uncomfortable journey, but knowing what is to be expected, I was determined to made the best of it.
Dakini Yoga begins the first hour and allows my mind to patiently accept the seating arrangement . I was sat very far from the rest of the Turberfield.
However, it also allowed me to observe people surrounding me. There was a lot of chatting, squeezing and sleeping. There were people who could not get a seat and had to stand throughout their journey. Luggages cramped everywhere, under seats, over seats, between legs. Many families traveling together. The young looking after the elderly, the grandparents looking after the children.
Many people were desperately trying their best to be comfortable. I knew there was no point trying. So instead I tried to relax into a sitting position and listen to puja. It kept me alert through most of the journey, and hence fairly comfortable.
Finally at 5 am, we arrived in YongDing and quickly ushered off to the Hakka Tulou in LiuLian village.
- Posted by Mich using BlogPress from my iPhone
We reached DongGuan Dong train station early in the morning, bought our return journey to Yong Ding, only to discover that we had to travel for other 1.5 hr on local bus to get to see my auntie.
1.5 hour bus journey revealed dreary industrial city that seems to span endlessly in all direction.
80% of the resident come from another place in china. I have come to the conclusion that this is the reason why it is not well taken care of.
Despite this, we are well looked after and fully enjoyed being with family for a day.
The following evening, we made the same journey back to the train station, only to realize that the train tickets we had were seater ticket. This meant a 7 hours train journey into the night, sitting upright.
It could be an uncomfortable journey, but knowing what is to be expected, I was determined to made the best of it.
Dakini Yoga begins the first hour and allows my mind to patiently accept the seating arrangement . I was sat very far from the rest of the Turberfield.
However, it also allowed me to observe people surrounding me. There was a lot of chatting, squeezing and sleeping. There were people who could not get a seat and had to stand throughout their journey. Luggages cramped everywhere, under seats, over seats, between legs. Many families traveling together. The young looking after the elderly, the grandparents looking after the children.
Many people were desperately trying their best to be comfortable. I knew there was no point trying. So instead I tried to relax into a sitting position and listen to puja. It kept me alert through most of the journey, and hence fairly comfortable.
Finally at 5 am, we arrived in YongDing and quickly ushered off to the Hakka Tulou in LiuLian village.
- Posted by Mich using BlogPress from my iPhone
A quick holiday from our holiday
Xiamen, a shiny new city welcomes us. Flashy skyscrapers, overhead metro, fast-food chain, well organized road ... ... No wonders this is one of China most livable city. It is clean and modern, on an island, by the coast. People here are relaxed and to me, honest.
A day in Xiamen, and we boarded Cosco Star cruise to get the Taiwan. It was interesting to sleep to the gentle motion of the ship. There are many types of rooms on the cruise. I saw floor room where people sleep on mattresses on floor. There were about 50 men per room. Then there are the common dormitory with common toilets. No much privacy. There are also privates- 2 person room, 6 person room. We took the 6 person dorm private room. It has a toilet and it was good to have some time to ourselves.
When we opened our eyes next, we have arrived in Taiwan, Keelung in the north.
The Asian Dharma Celebration went in a breeze. Too soon, we are back in China. However, mentally, we returned charged, with renewed courage and energy to keep practicing. In this prolonged holiday, ADC is our holiday within. It was fantastic to see everyone, and especially to see our teachers, to be inspired again.
- Posted by Mich using BlogPress from my iPhone
A day in Xiamen, and we boarded Cosco Star cruise to get the Taiwan. It was interesting to sleep to the gentle motion of the ship. There are many types of rooms on the cruise. I saw floor room where people sleep on mattresses on floor. There were about 50 men per room. Then there are the common dormitory with common toilets. No much privacy. There are also privates- 2 person room, 6 person room. We took the 6 person dorm private room. It has a toilet and it was good to have some time to ourselves.
When we opened our eyes next, we have arrived in Taiwan, Keelung in the north.
The Asian Dharma Celebration went in a breeze. Too soon, we are back in China. However, mentally, we returned charged, with renewed courage and energy to keep practicing. In this prolonged holiday, ADC is our holiday within. It was fantastic to see everyone, and especially to see our teachers, to be inspired again.
- Posted by Mich using BlogPress from my iPhone
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