So after completing some end of 2008 work tasks- e.g. writing an article for the local magazine, it was time to head off traveling again making the most of a visit by a friend from Australia and the winter lull at the park to tick off a few more of China's many interesting sites.
But not before a emphatic final hoorah of the eve of departure- with a Christmas party in our apartment, local Tibetan, Chinese colleague and Chengdu expat friends all in attendance. My roomate Kieran had bought decorations from Chengdu to add to the christmas feel, and along with plenty of booze, snacks and party-day kitchen clambouring, it all seemed in order for a night of feasting, drink and merriment. On the night, our colleagues seemed to overcome their initial awkwardness and even stayed until after 10pm (a record for the apartment) while the tibetans and expats kicked on into the wee hours with darts, drinking games, bare-chested heavy lifting and bizarre cocktails. Our US marine guests, from the consulate in Chengdu, even eventually seemed to relax and enjoy themselves though i and others sensed they bore some mental scars from their tours in Iraq.
My head was thumping madly at 6.25am when i woke up and had to frantically pack my bag for our bus leaving for Chengdu at 7am (luckily i packed enough underwear and able to nick a toothbrush from the hotel in Chengdu...). The 10-hour journey with my friend Sherry seems to have passed in a blur, i think i was still drunk most of the way, as the hungover didnt really strike until the evening (not sure if that's healthy....).
My mission in Chengdu was to buy a nice new camera, as my last camera had mysteriously disappeared from my apartment a couple of weeks earlier. Shopped around and several bus rides and busy electronic markets later i had a beautiful canon 1000D in my hands for the not insignificant price of 4000CNY. For the next week i revelled in my new toy and took pics of many an obscure sight. That clicking shutter sound is just so satisfying....:)
so after 2 nights in Chengdu, i parted ways with my friend Sherry and headed off by 15-hour, hard sleeper train to Xi'an. A pleasant enough journey, i was greeted in the morning upon exiting the station with the sight of the tall, thick and grey city walls and biting cold, encrusted icy ground of Xi'an. After negotiating the touts and peddlers, i started marching the streets until i found a cheap hostel and a private room.
With the city walls, tall tang dynasty pagodas and ancient drum and bell towers all prominent landmarks amongst the modern street and glittering skyscrapers, Xi'an is a city that seems to capture the cliched duality of ancient and modern as well as any other city in China. There's lots to see within the city itself, such as the Muslim quarter markets and great mosque while outside the city are the ornately glorified tombs of a number of ancient emperors, and the world famous terracotta warriors. This is because going back to the Qin until the Tang dynasties it was the capital of China, important city of the world and Eastern terminus of the Silk Road, the city known in those days as Chang-an.
One of the highlights of Xi'an is definitely the Big Goose Pagoda. This Tang Dynasty pagoda, built 1300 years ago, was built to house Buddhist sutras and relics brought back from India by the famous monk Xuanzang. The area around the temple has been developed into a well-planned public space of squares, gardens, cultural relics shopping, old-style architecture, being both grand yet people-friendly, modern & convenient yet with a clear historic feel. At the base of the pagoda is the Xuan Zang temple, will smooth, elegant architecture, numerous prayer halls and colourful mosiacs of the Buddha's life- resembling those one sees in temples of SE Asia rather than usual Chinese temples. Xuanzang's journey to India is the origin of the famous 'Journey to the West' story (remember Monkey & Pigsy...) that i loved to watch on TV in Australia as a child. It really was a sense of 'completing the circle' to come and visit this place, such an important site in the history of Buddhism and China-India relations, a energy centre in the 'spirit of Asia'. I had always been attracted to the Eastern philosophies, stimulated by watching 'monkey' on TV as a child, and much later by living in SE Asia ('Indo-China') for a number of years, i knew this was an important place and was glad the authorities had developed the area to honour those teachings and it's place in human history.
The same day, i visited the Eight immortals temple- dedicated to Taoism and the 8 sacred deities that have developed as part of those teachings over the years. These 8 folks were real people whose feats during life were so renowned that years later they were taken to be immortals and the mythology around them continued to develop. This temple was built in the hope that these immortals, being honoured as such, would use their magical powers to quell the 'subterranean divine thunder' that was menacing Xi'an. We can surmise that this 'divine thunder' must likely relate to the earthquakes that Chang'an experienced during it's history. The most famous of those being a huge quake in 1556 in which the Big goose pagoda, now 7 stories high, was reduced from its previous height of 10 stories by the rumblings. The small goose padoga was also damaged in the same earthquake and its stands unrepaired until today. This timetable also fits in with the age of the temple which was said to be built late in the 16th century.
On my final day in Xi'an i had the chance to make the 34km journey east of the city to the world heritage site of the terracotta warriors, or Bingmayong in Chinese (literally, soldier & horse statues). This place is one of the main tourist attractions of China and draws a huge crowds of locals and foreigners alike. After marching in, dodging the tour guide touts and swifting a student entry ticket, it was time to be somewhat swept away by shoving crowds in the relic museum (see below), before i headed in the 3 pits that display the masterfully clay-moulded relics of ancient China.
Pit 1 is the hugest of the 3, taking up more than 14,000 sqm, and is filled with the remains of more than 6000 warriors, of which more than 1000 have been restored into upright positions in parallel rows, the entire pit encircled by a line of outward facing sentries. The rest of the statues are still buried under the visible original covering of woven mats and wooden beams which have decayed over centuries. As you may have heard, each of the warriors is uniquely sculpted, with differing facial expressions, hair and dress styles, even unique boot treads! This artistic effort is said to have been necessary to create the lifelike reality of human individuals that would then allow the warriors to come to life and accompany the deceased emperor as his armies in the afterlife.
The epic effort required to build these warriors, which are only a sideshow to the main tomb, inside an unexcavated hill nearby (said to contain palaces of treasure, booby traps & rivers of mercury...), is testament to the massive ego of the Qin emperor (and founder of the dynasty) Qin Shi Huang, the authoritiarian system of government that he created (allowing him to amass huge resources for such pet projects) and his profound fear of what awaited him in the afterlife.
The Qin dynasty, though short lived (221-206BC), is very famous for establishing the centralised and bureaucratic state that allowed emperors to control a vast and diverse Chinese Empire, the same style that succeeded on in successive dynasties until modern day. The name Qin is even said to be the origin of the European name 'China' (q is prononced like ch in Chinese), which bears no relation to the Chinese name for themselves 'zhongguo' (middle kingdom).
The smaller pits contain more horses and archers, with the small pit said to be the army headquarters- containing many high-ranking officers distinguished by their elaborate head wear. In the pits themselves it is not possible to get up-close to the statues, but a few on display in cabinets around Pit 2 give some impression of the level of detail the craftsmen created in armour, footwear, hair and beard styles, subtle facial expression and even the nature-like shape of the accompanying horses bodies. Chariot wheels are also visible, and 2 life-size solid bronze chariots complete with horses and drivers (still solid after more than 2000 years) that were excavated nearby are on display in the relic museum.
It was slightly humourous to see, displayed proudly at various strategic locations around the site, info and announcements that proclaim the Terracotta warriors 'said to be' the 'eight wonder of the world'. Maybe this is another one of those lost in translation cultural misunderstandings- Thought it is a wondrous place- but i don't really get how that claim can mean anything unless we are told- by whom was this said???... which of course they don't! Could have been any random schmo in which case why are they quoting them here...And many others could make this claim.. I'd guess the Chinese were a little miffed at being left out of the traditional 7-wonders, and this is a quiet rebellion.. As a marketing technique i'm not sure if that grandstanding style will work so well on the more sophisticated western tourists as it does for the Chinese tour group masses.... Did i mention the bustling mosh pit in the relic museums (hav a look my photos on facebook to check it out- not much chance for scholarly appreciation while getting shoved around- no.1 rule- don't be shy to shove back).
This post seems to be long enough!
Next time (not so long to wait) i'll describe the much fun bar-hopping and lantern launching events of New Years in Xi'an and the unfortunate deft-handed criminal attack of which i was a victim just b4 departing the city, before moving on to the sights and smells of the journey to and exploration of the vast 10+ million city of Chongqing.....
Monday, December 22, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Living in a Fridge
My bones are beginning to shake. The cold chilling me to my depths. Relentless, pervasive, icy cold, i am getting to understand why animals go into hibernation.
It is literally as if i am living in a fridge. And this is only the first taste of winter. Soon it will be like living in a freezer. The night-time temperature at the moment goes down to about -7 celcius, daytime somewhere in single figures. Ive been told to expect days where the maximum is -10 celcius. Brrrrhhhh. The icicles forming in the streams are attractive, but its hard to appreciate when theres no apartment heating as a refuge from the bone-chilling cold. My hands and feet, fingers and toes feel it the most, despite having Scottish roots, as with my father, ive been cursed with poor circulation (maybe from living in the tropics as a toddler??), and extremities are usually numb and clumsy to use.
The weather's just not like this in Australia, (im a bronzed aussie!) and apart from few brief visits to the snow i've never spent much time in such an icy climate, so this a new experience for me. Fingers crossed find the will to survive and am not forced into hibernation or retreat down from the mountains and towards the equator.
And we have no heating in our apartment. We are still waiting to hear from management on that one, after we wrote a request to the director more than a month ago. OK. so since i wrote this draft we had had heating installed, what a relief! But still, whenever i go outside, the tendrils of icy air penetrate through my clothing and against my skin. 2 days ago i climbed a nearby mountain, from here at 1900m up to 3350m along a steep & narrow track, for some great mountains views. But along the way, when on the shady side of the mountain and facing the breeze i had the strange sensation of painfully burning numbness in my fingers as my nerves struggled against the elements. Sweating profusely and feeling numbed cold extremities at the same time is a strange sensation. I had hoped to one day climb Mt Everest, but this experience makes me suspect that id be almost guaranteed to lose some fingers and toes to frostbite in the experience.
All this makes me gain a deeper respect for the Tibetan people, as i wonder how they can possibly survive the cold winters, even at elevations much higher than this. Around here in many places the remains of bare terraced hillsides and tumbled earthen buildings indicate the historic location of Tibetan people's villages, all of them high up on the hillsides above the valley bottom, riverside location of towns and villages today. It seems the Tibetans had a preference for the higher places despite the cold, wind and inconvenience.
Nowadays these local guys are quite handy basketballers. A major way i get exercise is to bicycle down to the local courts and shoot hoops with these friendly enthusiastic young tibetans, who play ball in there spare time out from performing as singers and dancers in cultural shows. Except it can only be done in the midday hours when the sun is shining otherwise the cold wouldnt permit me to take off my gloves in order to shoot!
Other than that, my days are passing along steadily, keeping a bit to myself when english speaking colleagues are away, reading books and trying to improve my chinese. The marketing department has given me a few tasks of late- gathering research and report writing. The marketing department head is an interesting local tibetan guy who spent four years studying in Australia, and this experience shows through in his attitude to the job. Its interesting to hear of how his business innovation is obstructed by the conservative-socialist, power-games of park administration politics.
It was recently the 30th birthday of the national park (shortly followed by the 30th anniversary of China opening-up reform beginning) and the administration put on a big show with colourful dancing and singing, and the officials lining up to give communist-praising speeches. I passed on an offer to join the heavy drinking parties of the top park directors and politicians, including the Sichuan governor, feeling tired after a massive mountain climb. Fortunately i wasnt asked to sing an Australian song for the birthday show, though i had downloaded the lyrics just in case.
Instead a reporter from Sichuan Television asked me to give an interview to talk about my job at the park, so i was whisked off into the park for a in-situ filming, tried to use the chance to spread the conservation message while describing ecotourism to viewers....
Its nearing the festive season, my roomates have planned an Xmas gathering of various folks from Chengdu up here at the park- should be times of merriment, then im gonna head off travelling for 10 days or so with a chinese friend from Australia to some interesting places- Luoyang buddhist caves and maybe further south....
So Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to everyone
May you all enjoy the both physical and emotional warmth of festive season in Australia, and wish me luck to survive these icy times in outback western china
Cheers
callum
It is literally as if i am living in a fridge. And this is only the first taste of winter. Soon it will be like living in a freezer. The night-time temperature at the moment goes down to about -7 celcius, daytime somewhere in single figures. Ive been told to expect days where the maximum is -10 celcius. Brrrrhhhh. The icicles forming in the streams are attractive, but its hard to appreciate when theres no apartment heating as a refuge from the bone-chilling cold. My hands and feet, fingers and toes feel it the most, despite having Scottish roots, as with my father, ive been cursed with poor circulation (maybe from living in the tropics as a toddler??), and extremities are usually numb and clumsy to use.
The weather's just not like this in Australia, (im a bronzed aussie!) and apart from few brief visits to the snow i've never spent much time in such an icy climate, so this a new experience for me. Fingers crossed find the will to survive and am not forced into hibernation or retreat down from the mountains and towards the equator.
And we have no heating in our apartment. We are still waiting to hear from management on that one, after we wrote a request to the director more than a month ago. OK. so since i wrote this draft we had had heating installed, what a relief! But still, whenever i go outside, the tendrils of icy air penetrate through my clothing and against my skin. 2 days ago i climbed a nearby mountain, from here at 1900m up to 3350m along a steep & narrow track, for some great mountains views. But along the way, when on the shady side of the mountain and facing the breeze i had the strange sensation of painfully burning numbness in my fingers as my nerves struggled against the elements. Sweating profusely and feeling numbed cold extremities at the same time is a strange sensation. I had hoped to one day climb Mt Everest, but this experience makes me suspect that id be almost guaranteed to lose some fingers and toes to frostbite in the experience.
All this makes me gain a deeper respect for the Tibetan people, as i wonder how they can possibly survive the cold winters, even at elevations much higher than this. Around here in many places the remains of bare terraced hillsides and tumbled earthen buildings indicate the historic location of Tibetan people's villages, all of them high up on the hillsides above the valley bottom, riverside location of towns and villages today. It seems the Tibetans had a preference for the higher places despite the cold, wind and inconvenience.
Nowadays these local guys are quite handy basketballers. A major way i get exercise is to bicycle down to the local courts and shoot hoops with these friendly enthusiastic young tibetans, who play ball in there spare time out from performing as singers and dancers in cultural shows. Except it can only be done in the midday hours when the sun is shining otherwise the cold wouldnt permit me to take off my gloves in order to shoot!
Other than that, my days are passing along steadily, keeping a bit to myself when english speaking colleagues are away, reading books and trying to improve my chinese. The marketing department has given me a few tasks of late- gathering research and report writing. The marketing department head is an interesting local tibetan guy who spent four years studying in Australia, and this experience shows through in his attitude to the job. Its interesting to hear of how his business innovation is obstructed by the conservative-socialist, power-games of park administration politics.
It was recently the 30th birthday of the national park (shortly followed by the 30th anniversary of China opening-up reform beginning) and the administration put on a big show with colourful dancing and singing, and the officials lining up to give communist-praising speeches. I passed on an offer to join the heavy drinking parties of the top park directors and politicians, including the Sichuan governor, feeling tired after a massive mountain climb. Fortunately i wasnt asked to sing an Australian song for the birthday show, though i had downloaded the lyrics just in case.
Instead a reporter from Sichuan Television asked me to give an interview to talk about my job at the park, so i was whisked off into the park for a in-situ filming, tried to use the chance to spread the conservation message while describing ecotourism to viewers....
Its nearing the festive season, my roomates have planned an Xmas gathering of various folks from Chengdu up here at the park- should be times of merriment, then im gonna head off travelling for 10 days or so with a chinese friend from Australia to some interesting places- Luoyang buddhist caves and maybe further south....
So Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to everyone
May you all enjoy the both physical and emotional warmth of festive season in Australia, and wish me luck to survive these icy times in outback western china
Cheers
callum
Thursday, December 4, 2008
'Thick Face Black Heart' cultural contrasts
Since being in China it is been dawning on me how fundamentally different the commonly held views of propriety, behaviour and morality are here from what i have learn and adapted to in 24 years of life. I have sensed this difference before, a little uncomfortably, when travelling in China temporarily, but now im settling down here for a while i feel a need to organize my thoughts on the matter to be more clear. So ive started reading books and considering the subject more deeply.
Though Chinese culture is obviously deep, complex and diverse, some of the essential differences seems to me able be summarized in a contrast between such values of good/evil expressed through Christianity vs Taoism. In Christianity (both protestantism and catholicism) the search for goodness and heaven is about a struggle with our inner demons, a battle to overcome and repress the dark side of our own nature as something inherently evil and despicable. Therefore acting more generous, pious and friendly, hiding the negative or even neutral emotions, is socially desirable is western culture. I strongly remember some lessons grandmother taught me- 'if you dont have anything good to say, then dont say anything at all', 'ALWAYS say please and thankyou' she taught.
But China's Taoism- going back to the oracle bones and hexagrams of the Shang and Zhou dynasties 3-4000 years ago- has always been about balance of opposites. Balance of the essential (and indissoluble) forces, both yin & yang, light and dark is the stated goal. Flowing in harmony with the waxing and waning of these opposing energies is seen as the way to success. Ignoring or repressing the naturally occurring negativity is seen as futile, and instead they should be harnessed, utilized for motivation and effectiveness in reaching our goals. They would that the negativity- aggressiveness, jealousy, envy are necessary for the positives to exist and be perceived. Therefore people don't feel such a need to act nice. After overcoming initial dissonance against this, i can't say whether this is good or bad. As the Vietnam War-'maddened' (yet brilliant) colonel in the classic movie said when referring to why the US wasn't winning the war; 'What kills us is Judgment'- this i think gets to a core of east-west cultural contrast - we Westerners have a tendency to want to judge things as good or bad. Asians less so. This may disadvantage us.
Author Ching Ning Chiu summarizes some of these contrasts in her book Thick Face, Black Heart. This is one of the culture-related books i ordered in preparation for an extended stay in China. Ning Chiu is a taiwanese/american who nows interprets asian culture to the west. Does for business culture what bruce lee did for kung fu. She discusses various strategies and motivation techniques- drawing upon the ancient wisdom of confucius, lao tzu and also many hindu scriptures- with quotes at begining of each chapter. The general message is- we need to be able to be deaf to criticism (thick face) and measuredly ruthless (black heart) in order to gain success in life, even if our goals are noble.
Some of her quips i am instinctively opposed to - such as the flat statement that a state must have a strong military in order to have peace. I see a vicious-cycle of suspicion (arms race) developing here instead....
Anyway there is alot of insightful advice given, and it strips away at some of the false appearances of 'niceness' that we make in conformity with convention, while opening paths of behavioural strategies for those with deeper noble intentions who dont wish to be constricted by conventional christian morality.
The book title is based on a treatise written in 19th century by an obscure official in southern China named Lee Zhong Wu. This book describes the methods by which men obtain and how they hold onto power: how and to what lengths they use their power and wealth to accumulate more power and wealth. Apparently It was an all too truthful description of the prevailing political culture in China. Some of it reinforces comments i made earlier about the hierarchy of officialdom here in the park administration.
The observations describe 'Six ways to Obtain an Official Position'- including flattery, bribery, threats and single-mindedness. 'Six ways to keep an official position' include bowing and scraping before your superiors (especially ensure that the 2nd wives of superiors like you!); being imperious- haughty and disdainful, unapproachable; being ruthless (while maintaining a virtuous image); and being stubborn, self-centered and self-interested. He also mentions the importance of avoiding accountability for your actions and making your actions seem much more important than they really are.
Other notes include 'the twos types of foreign policy- the thug and the prostitute'- e.g. professing undying love to all parties, while also brutally beating victims into submission with whatever weapons are available.
He also interesting claimed: 'A husbands fear of his wife is as natural as the heavens and the earth. It is the Universal Truth', and said that a man rises in the world exactly to the same degree that he fears his wife- by conducting his life properly in order to please her.
I also read Ching-ning Chiu's book 'Do Less, Achieve More', to help prepare to come to China. It presented many psychological concepts of work and effort in an original way, to show how we are probably trying to hard. Just let things happen naturally and take what you want, she seems to imply. Worth a read.
On another note entirely, last night we had the first snowfalls of the winter outside my apartment (1st precipation for more than a month). Nice to wake up to a white carpet.....
And now im planning some post xmas travels around various parts of china. Feel like im in 'trainspotting' the way im reading train schedules for hours... Theres lots of trains in China and i expect to do a 3000km loop to Xi'an, Kaifeng, Luoyang, Changsha, Guiyang, Chongqing, and back to Chengdu... should be fun! Next time i'll share some stories of these adventures....
Very Merry Christmas to all folks
and Happy New Year (may our resolutions succeed!)
much love from
Callum
Though Chinese culture is obviously deep, complex and diverse, some of the essential differences seems to me able be summarized in a contrast between such values of good/evil expressed through Christianity vs Taoism. In Christianity (both protestantism and catholicism) the search for goodness and heaven is about a struggle with our inner demons, a battle to overcome and repress the dark side of our own nature as something inherently evil and despicable. Therefore acting more generous, pious and friendly, hiding the negative or even neutral emotions, is socially desirable is western culture. I strongly remember some lessons grandmother taught me- 'if you dont have anything good to say, then dont say anything at all', 'ALWAYS say please and thankyou' she taught.
But China's Taoism- going back to the oracle bones and hexagrams of the Shang and Zhou dynasties 3-4000 years ago- has always been about balance of opposites. Balance of the essential (and indissoluble) forces, both yin & yang, light and dark is the stated goal. Flowing in harmony with the waxing and waning of these opposing energies is seen as the way to success. Ignoring or repressing the naturally occurring negativity is seen as futile, and instead they should be harnessed, utilized for motivation and effectiveness in reaching our goals. They would that the negativity- aggressiveness, jealousy, envy are necessary for the positives to exist and be perceived. Therefore people don't feel such a need to act nice. After overcoming initial dissonance against this, i can't say whether this is good or bad. As the Vietnam War-'maddened' (yet brilliant) colonel in the classic movie said when referring to why the US wasn't winning the war; 'What kills us is Judgment'- this i think gets to a core of east-west cultural contrast - we Westerners have a tendency to want to judge things as good or bad. Asians less so. This may disadvantage us.
Author Ching Ning Chiu summarizes some of these contrasts in her book Thick Face, Black Heart. This is one of the culture-related books i ordered in preparation for an extended stay in China. Ning Chiu is a taiwanese/american who nows interprets asian culture to the west. Does for business culture what bruce lee did for kung fu. She discusses various strategies and motivation techniques- drawing upon the ancient wisdom of confucius, lao tzu and also many hindu scriptures- with quotes at begining of each chapter. The general message is- we need to be able to be deaf to criticism (thick face) and measuredly ruthless (black heart) in order to gain success in life, even if our goals are noble.
Some of her quips i am instinctively opposed to - such as the flat statement that a state must have a strong military in order to have peace. I see a vicious-cycle of suspicion (arms race) developing here instead....
Anyway there is alot of insightful advice given, and it strips away at some of the false appearances of 'niceness' that we make in conformity with convention, while opening paths of behavioural strategies for those with deeper noble intentions who dont wish to be constricted by conventional christian morality.
The book title is based on a treatise written in 19th century by an obscure official in southern China named Lee Zhong Wu. This book describes the methods by which men obtain and how they hold onto power: how and to what lengths they use their power and wealth to accumulate more power and wealth. Apparently It was an all too truthful description of the prevailing political culture in China. Some of it reinforces comments i made earlier about the hierarchy of officialdom here in the park administration.
The observations describe 'Six ways to Obtain an Official Position'- including flattery, bribery, threats and single-mindedness. 'Six ways to keep an official position' include bowing and scraping before your superiors (especially ensure that the 2nd wives of superiors like you!); being imperious- haughty and disdainful, unapproachable; being ruthless (while maintaining a virtuous image); and being stubborn, self-centered and self-interested. He also mentions the importance of avoiding accountability for your actions and making your actions seem much more important than they really are.
Other notes include 'the twos types of foreign policy- the thug and the prostitute'- e.g. professing undying love to all parties, while also brutally beating victims into submission with whatever weapons are available.
He also interesting claimed: 'A husbands fear of his wife is as natural as the heavens and the earth. It is the Universal Truth', and said that a man rises in the world exactly to the same degree that he fears his wife- by conducting his life properly in order to please her.
I also read Ching-ning Chiu's book 'Do Less, Achieve More', to help prepare to come to China. It presented many psychological concepts of work and effort in an original way, to show how we are probably trying to hard. Just let things happen naturally and take what you want, she seems to imply. Worth a read.
On another note entirely, last night we had the first snowfalls of the winter outside my apartment (1st precipation for more than a month). Nice to wake up to a white carpet.....
And now im planning some post xmas travels around various parts of china. Feel like im in 'trainspotting' the way im reading train schedules for hours... Theres lots of trains in China and i expect to do a 3000km loop to Xi'an, Kaifeng, Luoyang, Changsha, Guiyang, Chongqing, and back to Chengdu... should be fun! Next time i'll share some stories of these adventures....
Very Merry Christmas to all folks
and Happy New Year (may our resolutions succeed!)
much love from
Callum
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Shanghai and Beyond
In Shanghai, The Bund riverfront city-scape viewing strip was definately a highlight worth mentioning. An elevated walkway more than 1km long lines the west side of the Huangpu river, with a row of colonial era buildings - grand neoclassical 1930s architecture lining the road beside it to the west, while across the river the towering and multicoloured skyscrapers lined up and reaching over 300m high are presented along with massive flashing neon advertising boards of various global 500 companies. Meanwhile numerous cruise ships of huge size and strange shapes (pirate ships, dragons, turtles etc.), lit up appropriately, drift around the river carrying passengers on dinner cruises and event receptions, complementing the view.
And the China International Travel Mart that i visited was revealing as to the scale of the Tourism industry here in China, and its massive future potential. By the time i arrived with a friend on the last day, it appeared as if a bomb had struck the exhibition halls. Papers lying eveywhere, abandoned stalls- clearly this place had been hit by a brochure hungry mob, abandoned by the staff when their promotional materials ran out and the leftovers raided by subsequent vistors. I joined the stragglers to collect and few brochures from the highly decorated Chinese provincial displays before checking out the offerings of the dozens of International stalls at the exhibition. The US was very prominent (only one given 'official partner' status), while Taiwan was making big efforts to benefit from recent warming relations with the mainland, with vibrantly dressed dancers entertaining the crowds, a proud-looking dancer even approached me and gave me a shirt-pin while saying 'welcome to Taiwan'. The Aussie stall wasnt particularly impressive, and i thought lacked a clearly conveyed, unique product (contrasting to NZ's stall next door which proudly displayed its unique Maori heritage) that would be likely to draw Chinese away from the usual suspect destinations of Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore. While there, i still had a chance to chat with some officials from the Sichuan tourism board and learn more about the industry. Next year 47 million Chinese tourists are expected to travel overseas, and that number is growing by almost 20% a year. And Chinese are not known as stingy travellers. They like to do such things in style and comfort. So you can imagine the frenzy for a piece of the action. But the number of international tourists from china is nothing compared to the swarms of domestic tourists that tour China itself. Naturally the locals wish to sample the wondrous delights of the middle kingdom before thinking to venture further abroad.
Also, i wanted to mention another reason for my affection towards Shanghai. Its a place where it seems women are regarded as unashamedly equal to men. Many local women reinforced this to me, and it was clear in the way the girls carried themselves and dressed- their confidence and education clear enough to the observer. This complemented the sense of openess in the city- a place where women are valued and respected to me seems to imply an air of welcoming and hospitality, tolerance, rational order and peaceful behaviour. Unfortunately this progressive atmosphere has not yet reached rural China, and certainly not in the isolated part of a western province where i live.
Also in Shanghai- Perhaps last blog i didn't quite catch the meaning behind the bar robbery.... It really got me fired up, ready for battle, my heart was thumping for hours. It was good though, coz it burnt some of the lingering naivety out of me. I realised that the old principle i often follow 'be friendly to people and they will be friendly to you' has its limits- especially as a young foreigner fresh to a new big city....and then again, in China clearly friendliness is not as important as in Australia. For example, there's no specific word for friendly in Chinese- the translation commonly used 'you hao' literally means 'have good' - a much vaguer meaning that doesnt imply a kind of behaviour. While the word for friend 'pengyou' literally means 'has money'. Too bad for poor yet noble folk! And they're more flexible on what is viewed as right and wrong. (more on this cultural stuff, with evidence, in next blog) But thats not to mention the kind lady who toiled with me for ages helping me try to contact my friend to let them know i'd arrived in Shanghai. Or, could it have been that she was a prostitute anticipating some kind of job... ahh the endless mysteries of an unfamiliar land!
One of the recurring issues facing any long-term visitor to China is what attitude to take towards the country, people and culture. It comes up everyday in chats with fellow travellers and expats, and the typical attitude that seems to be taken is one of abuse and condescencion- criticising everything from the food and toilets to the dirtyness, smoking habits, ignorance of the people and arrogance of Chinese men. Often such complaints are one of the first things travellers say to each other on meeting. It's like we do this somewhow to comfort each other in the strange surroundings. Or perhaps we say it to balance out the oft-expressed innate pride that Chinese have in their country. The Queen of England's husband, Prince Phillip, is known to have made his unadulterated racism on the subject public, by saying that he was concerned that British students going to study in China would come back with 'slitty eyes'. So this is the background elitist racism that we are up against. But what is the source of this resentment? I try to take a middle path on this. China obviously has a long history and epic cultural achievements, but its worldview and value system also differ greatly from The West. Meanwhile, In the context of the modern, developed world, i'd say it still has a long way to go and retains many of the dark seeds of authoritarianism and repression in its society and culture. Its hard to underestimate the unhealed scars left by the tragic events of the 'great leap forward' and cultural revolution, coupled with stories of ancient Imperial excess, these illustrate the madness of allowing one man to control the destiny of a country. But China's contribution to world affairs is potentially great, so let's keep an open mind, shall we....
More (hopefully revealing) cultural notes next time!
PEACE
cal
And the China International Travel Mart that i visited was revealing as to the scale of the Tourism industry here in China, and its massive future potential. By the time i arrived with a friend on the last day, it appeared as if a bomb had struck the exhibition halls. Papers lying eveywhere, abandoned stalls- clearly this place had been hit by a brochure hungry mob, abandoned by the staff when their promotional materials ran out and the leftovers raided by subsequent vistors. I joined the stragglers to collect and few brochures from the highly decorated Chinese provincial displays before checking out the offerings of the dozens of International stalls at the exhibition. The US was very prominent (only one given 'official partner' status), while Taiwan was making big efforts to benefit from recent warming relations with the mainland, with vibrantly dressed dancers entertaining the crowds, a proud-looking dancer even approached me and gave me a shirt-pin while saying 'welcome to Taiwan'. The Aussie stall wasnt particularly impressive, and i thought lacked a clearly conveyed, unique product (contrasting to NZ's stall next door which proudly displayed its unique Maori heritage) that would be likely to draw Chinese away from the usual suspect destinations of Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore. While there, i still had a chance to chat with some officials from the Sichuan tourism board and learn more about the industry. Next year 47 million Chinese tourists are expected to travel overseas, and that number is growing by almost 20% a year. And Chinese are not known as stingy travellers. They like to do such things in style and comfort. So you can imagine the frenzy for a piece of the action. But the number of international tourists from china is nothing compared to the swarms of domestic tourists that tour China itself. Naturally the locals wish to sample the wondrous delights of the middle kingdom before thinking to venture further abroad.
Also, i wanted to mention another reason for my affection towards Shanghai. Its a place where it seems women are regarded as unashamedly equal to men. Many local women reinforced this to me, and it was clear in the way the girls carried themselves and dressed- their confidence and education clear enough to the observer. This complemented the sense of openess in the city- a place where women are valued and respected to me seems to imply an air of welcoming and hospitality, tolerance, rational order and peaceful behaviour. Unfortunately this progressive atmosphere has not yet reached rural China, and certainly not in the isolated part of a western province where i live.
Also in Shanghai- Perhaps last blog i didn't quite catch the meaning behind the bar robbery.... It really got me fired up, ready for battle, my heart was thumping for hours. It was good though, coz it burnt some of the lingering naivety out of me. I realised that the old principle i often follow 'be friendly to people and they will be friendly to you' has its limits- especially as a young foreigner fresh to a new big city....and then again, in China clearly friendliness is not as important as in Australia. For example, there's no specific word for friendly in Chinese- the translation commonly used 'you hao' literally means 'have good' - a much vaguer meaning that doesnt imply a kind of behaviour. While the word for friend 'pengyou' literally means 'has money'. Too bad for poor yet noble folk! And they're more flexible on what is viewed as right and wrong. (more on this cultural stuff, with evidence, in next blog) But thats not to mention the kind lady who toiled with me for ages helping me try to contact my friend to let them know i'd arrived in Shanghai. Or, could it have been that she was a prostitute anticipating some kind of job... ahh the endless mysteries of an unfamiliar land!
One of the recurring issues facing any long-term visitor to China is what attitude to take towards the country, people and culture. It comes up everyday in chats with fellow travellers and expats, and the typical attitude that seems to be taken is one of abuse and condescencion- criticising everything from the food and toilets to the dirtyness, smoking habits, ignorance of the people and arrogance of Chinese men. Often such complaints are one of the first things travellers say to each other on meeting. It's like we do this somewhow to comfort each other in the strange surroundings. Or perhaps we say it to balance out the oft-expressed innate pride that Chinese have in their country. The Queen of England's husband, Prince Phillip, is known to have made his unadulterated racism on the subject public, by saying that he was concerned that British students going to study in China would come back with 'slitty eyes'. So this is the background elitist racism that we are up against. But what is the source of this resentment? I try to take a middle path on this. China obviously has a long history and epic cultural achievements, but its worldview and value system also differ greatly from The West. Meanwhile, In the context of the modern, developed world, i'd say it still has a long way to go and retains many of the dark seeds of authoritarianism and repression in its society and culture. Its hard to underestimate the unhealed scars left by the tragic events of the 'great leap forward' and cultural revolution, coupled with stories of ancient Imperial excess, these illustrate the madness of allowing one man to control the destiny of a country. But China's contribution to world affairs is potentially great, so let's keep an open mind, shall we....
More (hopefully revealing) cultural notes next time!
PEACE
cal
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Journey to the East/Shanghai streetscum
Hello comrades
greetings and well-wishes
time for another message addressed to Mr & Ms cyberspace
At this time, i am in Hangzhou, just west of Shanghai. Famous for its beautiful west lake, China worships this city as a tourist mecca and cultural icon. And i must admit the lake itself is quite stunning. The history of Hangzhou goes back a long way too. A visit to a couple of local museums convinced me well of that. Home to serene kingdoms while the rest of China was in chaos between dynasties, it has been a centre of Buddhism, art and calligraphy since pre-christian times. Unfortunately some of the ancient buddhist stele carvings were destroyed during the cultural revolution (the taliban needed an example!), but tall stupas- old and rebuilt, still circle the lake here and there and add to the sense of serenity created by the intermingling of water, earth, greenery and humanity. Long causeways have been built across the lake to create many large and small lakes joined together under bridges, and dredged material piled up to create islands that dotting the water body. Nowadays Hangzhou prides itself on being a 'healthy-living city'- apparently up to date with world standards- big projects have been undertaken to clean up the lake, lots of green spaces, and local govt has launched a bicycle vending system on almost every corner to imitate european cities. Perhaps thats why they're hosting a world mayoral congress for healthy cities next month.
A few days ago i was in Shanghai, having spent a leisurely 5 days to tour the town, visit some friends and catch a big tourism exhibition going on in the city. Some dramas on my 2nd night in town made things very memorable. In the centre of Shanghai is Remin Gongcheng- people's square- but unfortunately- apart from being the domain of 'the people' its also home to a variety of smooth-talking shikesters. I sensed this as soon as i got off the subway and was almost immeadiately approach by some over-friendly characters suggesting i go this way or the other. No thanks! on the 500m walk accross the sqaure to the Shanghai museum, there must have been 3 or 4 other groups who attempted to lead me wayside. Now i am a friendly fella, like to think the best of people, give them a chance to tell their story, but these guys often make an artform of using others trust and milking their goodwill for all its worth. Some just want you to visit a shop, others see 'their' artwork or they'll try to take you to an expensive show. But later i had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting a couple of much more sinister shikesters.
After spending a good 4 hours in the Shanghai museum- a wonderful collection of ancient bronzes, ceramics, sculpture, calligraphy, jadework and other materials- all with English captions (and its free!), i started heading off towards the famous riverfront Bund city-viewing strip via the busy neon-lit shopping mall st Nanjing rd. As i entered the street, two beaming young girls said hello and followed me, saying they wished to practice their English. Though being a little suspicious of their intentions, i saw no harm in some innocent chat with these young ladies. Their smiles perhaps made me see them too favorably, and when they suggested we stop for a drink i was, in retrospect, too agreeable. Though i stuck to my guns at the first place we went- up an old lift to a 7th floor restaurant- and checked the menu, saw high prices and the lack of an advertised view so insisted to their suprise that we leave- i wanted to go to the Bund. But when they gently asked for us to stop for a drink to warm up at one more quiet place i checked the menu and ordered a slightly pricey ($6aud) pot of tea. When other drinks and snacks came out i said i didnt want them and sent them back. But these girls ordered a couple more whiskeys and when i often protested they kept insisting they would pay.
How much could a whiskey cost?
At about 7.30pm i thought it was time to go - so they sent the bill- $600 AUD!!!
I couldnt believe my eyes! The smiling assassins across the table maintained their innocent posture, while i took the matter up with staff, four guys playing cards abruptly finished their game to approach me threateningly. I couldnt leave until the bill was paid. I asked for a blanket to sleep here. Another guy put a lock on the door. I studied the bill with a menu. An obscure back page in the menu listed the girls whiskeys @ 400CNY a glass!? their wallets were empty. I'd been scammed. I breathed in meditation to consider my options. Meanwhile the vulture-like staff were circling at my back, grunting and scoffing at each other. After a few minutes the 'kind and generous' manager offered to accept only 1000CNY on top of the 400 we already offered. I waited longer until he offered i pay 600 more, then moved over to the bar to negotiate. After taking some photos of the bar and staff (while they scattered fearfully) i agreed to pay 500 CNY if they unlocked the door. I told the girls to come with me, and then on the street i let them know what i thought of their utterly ruthless, cold, heartless, inhumane activities.
I went straight to the police, avoiding a local station where ones of the thieves tried to gesture me towards and called from a restaurant up the road. But these cops, when they came, were from the same local station, refused to go back to the bar with me and also refused to tell me their name and rank. I showed them photos of the culprits but they only smiled blankly. I made my point to them clearly before walking on, tempted to go back for a fight, but deciding against it.
Later walking the street, approached by many such ladies i realised the scale of this kind of business going on here.
Maybe they have a shikester university set-up there- amateurs learn the trade around museum in daytime and if they pass the cut graduate to the big buck business round Nanjing road after sunset. In any case, i get the feeling that organised crime is still well-entrenched in the Shanghai scene. And the local cops are no match for them.
Moral of the story: Shanghai travellers beware!
Apart from this experience, Shanghai was enjoyable. Whether it be enjoying the views over high rises of Lujiazui from my friends 80th floor hotel room, sampling cultural sights at Jade Buddha and Jing an temples, or admiring the classic architecture and parks of the french concession area, i had fun wandering around by foot and subway, meeting up with a few old friends along the way. Shanghai is clearly a flourishing city of wealth, with openess and more of an international flavour than Beijing. 2010 Expo will be a great time to visit. Locals are gearing up for this as their event to rival the beijing games and many new building projects (e.g. subways) planned completed by then.
After zipping back from Hangzhou on the 'harmony' train at over 170km, I went out to dinner with a nice young lady i met in Hangzhou for some chinese practice, before catching an early flight to Chengdu the next morning.
Now im back in Jiuzhaigou, having spent the day on an epic 10.5 hour bus journey from Chengdu- through 3500m high mountain passes and some of the areas worst affected by the may 12 earthquake. For an 100km stretch of the road there were landslides everywhere -entire hillsides in places, much temporary housing and rebuilding going on, large tracts of the road had fallen away- leaving only one lane- and collpased bridges stood as reminder of the power of the earth when it tremors. Though outward signs of destroyed buildings had largely been cleared up, it was obvious that many of these dozens of villages were rebuilding almost from stratch. No wonder the Sichuan government has allocated 3 trillion yuan (about 700 billion AUD) for reconstruction and recovery projects. This was huge.
Back at the park, i have reports to write and future projects to think about. Im also expected to put a performance of Australian culture for other staff at the parks 30th birthday celebration in a couple of weeks... What the %^&*!
PEACE OUT
cal
greetings and well-wishes
time for another message addressed to Mr & Ms cyberspace
At this time, i am in Hangzhou, just west of Shanghai. Famous for its beautiful west lake, China worships this city as a tourist mecca and cultural icon. And i must admit the lake itself is quite stunning. The history of Hangzhou goes back a long way too. A visit to a couple of local museums convinced me well of that. Home to serene kingdoms while the rest of China was in chaos between dynasties, it has been a centre of Buddhism, art and calligraphy since pre-christian times. Unfortunately some of the ancient buddhist stele carvings were destroyed during the cultural revolution (the taliban needed an example!), but tall stupas- old and rebuilt, still circle the lake here and there and add to the sense of serenity created by the intermingling of water, earth, greenery and humanity. Long causeways have been built across the lake to create many large and small lakes joined together under bridges, and dredged material piled up to create islands that dotting the water body. Nowadays Hangzhou prides itself on being a 'healthy-living city'- apparently up to date with world standards- big projects have been undertaken to clean up the lake, lots of green spaces, and local govt has launched a bicycle vending system on almost every corner to imitate european cities. Perhaps thats why they're hosting a world mayoral congress for healthy cities next month.
A few days ago i was in Shanghai, having spent a leisurely 5 days to tour the town, visit some friends and catch a big tourism exhibition going on in the city. Some dramas on my 2nd night in town made things very memorable. In the centre of Shanghai is Remin Gongcheng- people's square- but unfortunately- apart from being the domain of 'the people' its also home to a variety of smooth-talking shikesters. I sensed this as soon as i got off the subway and was almost immeadiately approach by some over-friendly characters suggesting i go this way or the other. No thanks! on the 500m walk accross the sqaure to the Shanghai museum, there must have been 3 or 4 other groups who attempted to lead me wayside. Now i am a friendly fella, like to think the best of people, give them a chance to tell their story, but these guys often make an artform of using others trust and milking their goodwill for all its worth. Some just want you to visit a shop, others see 'their' artwork or they'll try to take you to an expensive show. But later i had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting a couple of much more sinister shikesters.
After spending a good 4 hours in the Shanghai museum- a wonderful collection of ancient bronzes, ceramics, sculpture, calligraphy, jadework and other materials- all with English captions (and its free!), i started heading off towards the famous riverfront Bund city-viewing strip via the busy neon-lit shopping mall st Nanjing rd. As i entered the street, two beaming young girls said hello and followed me, saying they wished to practice their English. Though being a little suspicious of their intentions, i saw no harm in some innocent chat with these young ladies. Their smiles perhaps made me see them too favorably, and when they suggested we stop for a drink i was, in retrospect, too agreeable. Though i stuck to my guns at the first place we went- up an old lift to a 7th floor restaurant- and checked the menu, saw high prices and the lack of an advertised view so insisted to their suprise that we leave- i wanted to go to the Bund. But when they gently asked for us to stop for a drink to warm up at one more quiet place i checked the menu and ordered a slightly pricey ($6aud) pot of tea. When other drinks and snacks came out i said i didnt want them and sent them back. But these girls ordered a couple more whiskeys and when i often protested they kept insisting they would pay.
How much could a whiskey cost?
At about 7.30pm i thought it was time to go - so they sent the bill- $600 AUD!!!
I couldnt believe my eyes! The smiling assassins across the table maintained their innocent posture, while i took the matter up with staff, four guys playing cards abruptly finished their game to approach me threateningly. I couldnt leave until the bill was paid. I asked for a blanket to sleep here. Another guy put a lock on the door. I studied the bill with a menu. An obscure back page in the menu listed the girls whiskeys @ 400CNY a glass!? their wallets were empty. I'd been scammed. I breathed in meditation to consider my options. Meanwhile the vulture-like staff were circling at my back, grunting and scoffing at each other. After a few minutes the 'kind and generous' manager offered to accept only 1000CNY on top of the 400 we already offered. I waited longer until he offered i pay 600 more, then moved over to the bar to negotiate. After taking some photos of the bar and staff (while they scattered fearfully) i agreed to pay 500 CNY if they unlocked the door. I told the girls to come with me, and then on the street i let them know what i thought of their utterly ruthless, cold, heartless, inhumane activities.
I went straight to the police, avoiding a local station where ones of the thieves tried to gesture me towards and called from a restaurant up the road. But these cops, when they came, were from the same local station, refused to go back to the bar with me and also refused to tell me their name and rank. I showed them photos of the culprits but they only smiled blankly. I made my point to them clearly before walking on, tempted to go back for a fight, but deciding against it.
Later walking the street, approached by many such ladies i realised the scale of this kind of business going on here.
Maybe they have a shikester university set-up there- amateurs learn the trade around museum in daytime and if they pass the cut graduate to the big buck business round Nanjing road after sunset. In any case, i get the feeling that organised crime is still well-entrenched in the Shanghai scene. And the local cops are no match for them.
Moral of the story: Shanghai travellers beware!
Apart from this experience, Shanghai was enjoyable. Whether it be enjoying the views over high rises of Lujiazui from my friends 80th floor hotel room, sampling cultural sights at Jade Buddha and Jing an temples, or admiring the classic architecture and parks of the french concession area, i had fun wandering around by foot and subway, meeting up with a few old friends along the way. Shanghai is clearly a flourishing city of wealth, with openess and more of an international flavour than Beijing. 2010 Expo will be a great time to visit. Locals are gearing up for this as their event to rival the beijing games and many new building projects (e.g. subways) planned completed by then.
After zipping back from Hangzhou on the 'harmony' train at over 170km, I went out to dinner with a nice young lady i met in Hangzhou for some chinese practice, before catching an early flight to Chengdu the next morning.
Now im back in Jiuzhaigou, having spent the day on an epic 10.5 hour bus journey from Chengdu- through 3500m high mountain passes and some of the areas worst affected by the may 12 earthquake. For an 100km stretch of the road there were landslides everywhere -entire hillsides in places, much temporary housing and rebuilding going on, large tracts of the road had fallen away- leaving only one lane- and collpased bridges stood as reminder of the power of the earth when it tremors. Though outward signs of destroyed buildings had largely been cleared up, it was obvious that many of these dozens of villages were rebuilding almost from stratch. No wonder the Sichuan government has allocated 3 trillion yuan (about 700 billion AUD) for reconstruction and recovery projects. This was huge.
Back at the park, i have reports to write and future projects to think about. Im also expected to put a performance of Australian culture for other staff at the parks 30th birthday celebration in a couple of weeks... What the %^&*!
PEACE OUT
cal
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Life as work... but it aint so bad!
so whats goin on at the moment?
My last entry was such a rush, just tryin to catch up with all travels and events.
So now i've pretty much settled down, maybe i can paint a more elaborate, more captivating picture. subtleties and absurd intricacies not aside....
Yes my life is my work. My apartment is 100m from my office. I use my same laptop at home in evenings and during day in office. I eat most meals in the staff canteen and talk about the same ecotourism topics with my chinese office colleagues during day as with my expat mates in evening. i study the same chinese language books at home and work. In my free time i go to walk and explore in the park. some days i skip office and go to walk in the park, as its also part of the job.
My counterpart is named Jack. Its appropriate coz he's like a jack-in-the-box. Talks loudly and interrupts randomly but his heart is clearly in the right place. gotta giv him credit as he helps me alot and he occasionally lets a word in. For me, i wanna make friends with all the staff. But experienced expats here tell me thats just not the way it is done. they say that is sellin myself short- instead u gotta ignore the non-decisions makers and court the park directors as a way of increasing one's own authority and establishing ones own hgh-ranking persona. Apparently this is part of Chinese culture- act superior and treat anyone below you with contempt in order to get ahead. And coz we foreign staff are outside the usual staff hierachy u see, theres much more flexibility in our position. So i could be chums with the director and head of all the parks $millions new 'ecotourism' projects or just some fella helpin out in the science department. Umm, sounds complicated for a egalitarian aussie like me. not sure if im ready for all these decisions or could conciously be so harsh to anyone. Better get settled in first. I know im smart, but maybe its more comfortable to be a high-potential moderate achiever than to test the limits and really challenge oneself. Hmm
Yeah the hierachy here is very important. Local staff and expats alike keep reinforcing this point to me. e.g. Vice-directors follow the director like puppy dogs and lower level staff look for ways to maneouver themselves for promotion. No-one pushes the limits, innovates or works too hard coz that is a way to make enemies- people may resent u and feel threatened. sound kinda backward? its for real. My science department has spent 5 years and large budgets working on a ecotourism project and achieved almost perfectly zilch. Few reports repeating the same useless flora and fauna survey data. In my meetings with the science director he seems nervous to sound like he knows what he's talking about. And he tries to slow me down in my work planning likely coz the contrast with the past years achievements may put him under the directors microscope. My job is supposed to bridge the divide between science and marketing departments. Both know nothing about each other. But ecotourism projects need involves both to be involved intimately, otherwise you'll have the 'eco' without the tourism or the tourism with the 'eco'.
I also have other choices. Do i wanna launch a business with my expat colleagues or instead focus on capacity building of local staff through training? Would my training have any long term affect? i might even be stepping on communist party toes- as to me ecotourism is almost an ideology in itself.
But surely the future is bright? the 'new china' calls for environmental conservation and education, and this park is one of the most well-known in China. A market of thousands per day is at our doorstep waiting to be sold on the ecotourism concept. Our park director is dynamic and has big plans and grand visions of making this place and surounding valleys, world renowned as a eco-village haven for $$ rich ecotourists looking for a slice of clean and luxurious nature, high-tech in harmony with raw earth. This means they are also very receptive to outside help. They want to draw-upon global expertise - so if one acts like they know what they are talking about they can be highly valued by management.
And hey did i mention this is WESTERN China? big difference here guys. Out here, they're still waiting for the fruits of China's much publicised economic success and organisational innovation. So maybe thats why they still treat officials like emperors out here- never mind socialist equality! Apparently this western under-development is to be addressed by the central governments massive 'Great Western Development Project' in this forgotten half of china.
And meanwhile, though they may call this Sichuan, to me its more like Tibet. Another complicating factor. The local Tibetans here speak their own language, have their own food and customs, different from mainstream Lhasa culture, these people are known as Ando Tibetans, then there are Kangba, Jiarong Tibetans... the list goes on- with different cultures depending on their geograpihcal location and livelihood. The locals here they have benefited much finanically from tourism, but many Han (apart from the tourist influx) have moved in and the Tibetans use their money to send their kids to school in Chengdu and if they come back, they have no interest in the Tibetan language and ways of the elders. So why dont they build a decent school nearby? And what of the cultural preservation aspect of ecotourism? this could be a real challenge...
And hey, did i mention a visit to the Conficius temple in Beijing? it was quite a place. apart from the spectacular architecture there was a museum of the great wall, long explanations and dramatisations of the functioning of the imperial college (which this place once was) for aspiring officials as well as a museum of confucius detailing his life and teachings, and their supposed applicability in the modern world. Wow, there sure are some national self-righteous, triumphalistic confucius-loving scholars in China! take this for example- it was claimed unequivocally in this museum exhibition that the European enlightenment of the 17th-18th centuries was inspired by confucianism and promoted confucian values. Apparently voltaire was the inspiration behind it all and a raging sinophile himself. Not sure i can buy that. Some less grandiose claims perhaps? ahh well, this is China after all. Being overly self-concious, they are over-compensating their national ego after a few centuries under european dominion.
Apart from all this, i've been spending my days wandering in the park with the goal of walking all the trails before the cold of winter sets in. I've enjoyed the fantastic views (see my album on facebook) of autumn coloured forests, flourescent lakes, limestone pools and waterfalls, in spectacular and bizarre formations, you will have to come and see what i mean! The paths have been mercifully quiet- apart from the effect of the terrible may earthquake which has more than halved tourist numbers, almost all the local tourists just ride the bus from site to site and take photos, bypassing the trails through the forest- now thats not what i'd call 'ecotourism'! Neither are the overflowing rubbish bins and lack of interpretive signage- this is the kinda stuff i'll work on with colleagues. Along with much else- it seems there are many and varying tasks i could be doing from contacting travel agents to investigating local culture with elders- but overall i guess i need to balance the business considerations with the 'ecotourism ethics' so that things will work well. I really want to talk with the director- he's the one who makes the decisions- but a hard man to get a hold of, and my chinese is still pretty shabby too...
Alright there much more i could talk about... think i'll save it for nexttime
glad to receive your email at: callum_mcqueen@yahoo.com.au
good luck and all the best until next time!!!
Cheers from cal
:) :) :)
My last entry was such a rush, just tryin to catch up with all travels and events.
So now i've pretty much settled down, maybe i can paint a more elaborate, more captivating picture. subtleties and absurd intricacies not aside....
Yes my life is my work. My apartment is 100m from my office. I use my same laptop at home in evenings and during day in office. I eat most meals in the staff canteen and talk about the same ecotourism topics with my chinese office colleagues during day as with my expat mates in evening. i study the same chinese language books at home and work. In my free time i go to walk and explore in the park. some days i skip office and go to walk in the park, as its also part of the job.
My counterpart is named Jack. Its appropriate coz he's like a jack-in-the-box. Talks loudly and interrupts randomly but his heart is clearly in the right place. gotta giv him credit as he helps me alot and he occasionally lets a word in. For me, i wanna make friends with all the staff. But experienced expats here tell me thats just not the way it is done. they say that is sellin myself short- instead u gotta ignore the non-decisions makers and court the park directors as a way of increasing one's own authority and establishing ones own hgh-ranking persona. Apparently this is part of Chinese culture- act superior and treat anyone below you with contempt in order to get ahead. And coz we foreign staff are outside the usual staff hierachy u see, theres much more flexibility in our position. So i could be chums with the director and head of all the parks $millions new 'ecotourism' projects or just some fella helpin out in the science department. Umm, sounds complicated for a egalitarian aussie like me. not sure if im ready for all these decisions or could conciously be so harsh to anyone. Better get settled in first. I know im smart, but maybe its more comfortable to be a high-potential moderate achiever than to test the limits and really challenge oneself. Hmm
Yeah the hierachy here is very important. Local staff and expats alike keep reinforcing this point to me. e.g. Vice-directors follow the director like puppy dogs and lower level staff look for ways to maneouver themselves for promotion. No-one pushes the limits, innovates or works too hard coz that is a way to make enemies- people may resent u and feel threatened. sound kinda backward? its for real. My science department has spent 5 years and large budgets working on a ecotourism project and achieved almost perfectly zilch. Few reports repeating the same useless flora and fauna survey data. In my meetings with the science director he seems nervous to sound like he knows what he's talking about. And he tries to slow me down in my work planning likely coz the contrast with the past years achievements may put him under the directors microscope. My job is supposed to bridge the divide between science and marketing departments. Both know nothing about each other. But ecotourism projects need involves both to be involved intimately, otherwise you'll have the 'eco' without the tourism or the tourism with the 'eco'.
I also have other choices. Do i wanna launch a business with my expat colleagues or instead focus on capacity building of local staff through training? Would my training have any long term affect? i might even be stepping on communist party toes- as to me ecotourism is almost an ideology in itself.
But surely the future is bright? the 'new china' calls for environmental conservation and education, and this park is one of the most well-known in China. A market of thousands per day is at our doorstep waiting to be sold on the ecotourism concept. Our park director is dynamic and has big plans and grand visions of making this place and surounding valleys, world renowned as a eco-village haven for $$ rich ecotourists looking for a slice of clean and luxurious nature, high-tech in harmony with raw earth. This means they are also very receptive to outside help. They want to draw-upon global expertise - so if one acts like they know what they are talking about they can be highly valued by management.
And hey did i mention this is WESTERN China? big difference here guys. Out here, they're still waiting for the fruits of China's much publicised economic success and organisational innovation. So maybe thats why they still treat officials like emperors out here- never mind socialist equality! Apparently this western under-development is to be addressed by the central governments massive 'Great Western Development Project' in this forgotten half of china.
And meanwhile, though they may call this Sichuan, to me its more like Tibet. Another complicating factor. The local Tibetans here speak their own language, have their own food and customs, different from mainstream Lhasa culture, these people are known as Ando Tibetans, then there are Kangba, Jiarong Tibetans... the list goes on- with different cultures depending on their geograpihcal location and livelihood. The locals here they have benefited much finanically from tourism, but many Han (apart from the tourist influx) have moved in and the Tibetans use their money to send their kids to school in Chengdu and if they come back, they have no interest in the Tibetan language and ways of the elders. So why dont they build a decent school nearby? And what of the cultural preservation aspect of ecotourism? this could be a real challenge...
And hey, did i mention a visit to the Conficius temple in Beijing? it was quite a place. apart from the spectacular architecture there was a museum of the great wall, long explanations and dramatisations of the functioning of the imperial college (which this place once was) for aspiring officials as well as a museum of confucius detailing his life and teachings, and their supposed applicability in the modern world. Wow, there sure are some national self-righteous, triumphalistic confucius-loving scholars in China! take this for example- it was claimed unequivocally in this museum exhibition that the European enlightenment of the 17th-18th centuries was inspired by confucianism and promoted confucian values. Apparently voltaire was the inspiration behind it all and a raging sinophile himself. Not sure i can buy that. Some less grandiose claims perhaps? ahh well, this is China after all. Being overly self-concious, they are over-compensating their national ego after a few centuries under european dominion.
Apart from all this, i've been spending my days wandering in the park with the goal of walking all the trails before the cold of winter sets in. I've enjoyed the fantastic views (see my album on facebook) of autumn coloured forests, flourescent lakes, limestone pools and waterfalls, in spectacular and bizarre formations, you will have to come and see what i mean! The paths have been mercifully quiet- apart from the effect of the terrible may earthquake which has more than halved tourist numbers, almost all the local tourists just ride the bus from site to site and take photos, bypassing the trails through the forest- now thats not what i'd call 'ecotourism'! Neither are the overflowing rubbish bins and lack of interpretive signage- this is the kinda stuff i'll work on with colleagues. Along with much else- it seems there are many and varying tasks i could be doing from contacting travel agents to investigating local culture with elders- but overall i guess i need to balance the business considerations with the 'ecotourism ethics' so that things will work well. I really want to talk with the director- he's the one who makes the decisions- but a hard man to get a hold of, and my chinese is still pretty shabby too...
Alright there much more i could talk about... think i'll save it for nexttime
glad to receive your email at: callum_mcqueen@yahoo.com.au
good luck and all the best until next time!!!
Cheers from cal
:) :) :)
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
My new home in the mountains
Here in the park, it is wonderful. Mountains, multicoloured forests, rainbow aqua lakes, wildlife, rivers and waterfalls. The array of contrasting, colours, textures and forms in the natural environment is quite breathtaking. Trees grow out of limestone covered florescent moss clumps midstream, while 300m wide water curtains fall then and suddenly become a 3m wide torrent. Lakes that seem as tropical lagoons supplanted to the edge of the Tibetan plateau dot the valleys, clear as crystal, underwater trees clearly visible through the sparkling, fluorescent depths. The irreplicable grandness of nature itself is perceived clearly when in this earthy paradise. Drama aside, it's quite amazing.
So far I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the conservation efforts undertaken by authorities at the park and also by the economic benefits that have clearly flowed to the Tibetan minority locals. The environment seems pristine and the locals happy with their more modern new homes, but a few glimpses of submerged rubbish, the profusion of mobile phone towers and the obvious transformation of the lifestyles of local people in the park shows that unresolved issues remain. Financial benefits aside- what of the effect on cultural wealth of the locals? Why is their no school nearby so that local Tibetans must send their children to the big city where they forget their language and adopt the ways of the Han mainstream? Maybe this is convenient for the state, but what of beauty in diversity?
My work may well focus more on developing areas of the park not yet open to many tourists, and on other valleys outside the park where potential for eco-tourism is great and local culture has not been degraded. In just the first few days we have met many local people, community leaders tourism workers and park staff. Its great to chat with them to get a sense of place, community and life conditions. We’ve watched two cultural shows- the 2nd a spectacular opera- a dazzling combination of colour, light, elaborate background and costumes, stories, dancing and song that conveyed a proud sense of the Tibetan people and their beliefs. In recent days we’ve met with 3 different village committees, visited the county seat to critique an exhibition, reviewed the visitor centre and visited 3 valleys earmarked for eco-tourism development (my job). I’ve met a lot of staff, played pleasantries with the directors, given out a few gifts and drunk plenty of toasts in the Chinese fashion.
Before I came here, my journey in China began in a conference centre in the suburbs of sprawling Beijing. Everywhere it seemed there were massive traffic clogged roads, high rises buildings and smog. Making the journey by subway and buses to the city centre, Tiananmen square, Jiangshan park, Wangfujing shopping district and the summer palace was more than worth it for the world-matching monuments, and provided that sense of place and orientation that I missed out in the suburbs. The summer palace and forbidden city was a reminder of imperial glory, while flashy wangfujing shopping street was a demonstration of China new-found wealth and neon-lights capitalism. At the summer palace, every info sign reminded visitors how each building was burnt down by the Anglo-French forces in 1860, a sign of the ‘grievance’ nationalism promoted by various Chinese leaders (especially Mao), mainly for political purposes. Our accom building was close to the Olympic site though, just a few bus stops up the ring road so I snuck up there one day in the lunch break between our training sessions and wandered around the imposing structures- the ‘birds nest’ with its webbed-spokes like appearance, the ‘ice cube’ spectacularly lit up at night and gymnastics dome. Many Chinese tourists getting their belated dose of Olympic fervour. Also sampled the nightlife scene in Beijing. Didnt know what to expect in the capital of communist china where 'liberty' is hardly the motto of the town. In Nanluguoxiang district met up with other AYADs and expats at a rooftop bar between two ancient Drum and Bell towers, then took a walk down the bar district where tradtional hutong architecture met backpacker nighlife haunt in a east-west juxtaposition. Cool atmosphere. Later, in the expat realm of sanlitou, the character-less neon lights, dancing girls and commerical feel was hardly charming. It left me heading home wondering if it was the usual life for most diplomats in China (being right in the embassy zone), to often spend an average half-weeks wages of a local worker on each drink in these seedy bars.
Chengdu, my next stop, was another energetic city, famous for spicy food (and women- known as ‘la meizi’- spice girls), tea-drinking culture, and more recently as the capital of the province hit by the devastating may earthquake. Situated in the centre of a large natural basin, mountains in the distance on all sides, it is the agricultural and industrial centre of Western China with a long and proud history to rival even that of the capital Beijing. Unfortunately, the basin geography also makes for cloudy, humid weather (only 28% of days with any sunshine) and while I was visiting there was no exception. There for 4-days, I had a lot of shopping to do and time for some sightseeing too. This time, my hotel was right in the centre of town, all I need to do was look out my window to see the milling crowds of thousands of fashionable youngsters strolling through the ‘chun xi lu’ shopping mall, fast food, jewellery and expensive clothing stores all around. OK, so phaps on my volunteers budget this was not the place for me to shop!. First, after some extensive negotiation, I bought a bicycle for 800 CNY, got extra fitted, seat raised, boxed (for flight) and starting happily pedalling my way through around and across the streets and suburbs of Chengdu. Being without a decent map, it was a bit hit and miss at times but getting lost is of course half the fun and this is how I got to know the town. Visiting parks and temples, a university, department stores, old alleys and the city square with its big Mao-statue, eventually found a shoe store that had my size way out in the suburbs at a busy shopping district where the ‘real’ locals shopped and prices where much cheaper. Its cold up at the park, so I collected lots of warm gear and piled them on my bike rack and set off again. Wenshu temple was a highlight of Chengdu, majestic and serene profound messages on the walls and beautiful architecture to admire, I found my first few moments of real peace since arriving in China while sitting in a garden-lake pagoda while the soaking rain kept crowds away.
Taking the 40-min flight up to Jiuzhai-Huanglong airport, I managed to smuggle my bicycle aboard along with piles of luggage without paying fees, and was presented with towering peaks of jagged, bare brown stone, backed by endless waves of mountains and ridges disappearing off into the distance. I had reached the edge of the roof of the world, the path to the Tibetan plateau and landed above 3000m in a yak-farmed brown valley rimmed by peaks. Since then, the mountains have been the maiden forever at my side, and the local Tibetan people with their warmth are the mystery into which I am slowing delving. The air is clean and crisp and the water clear. Yes, this is a paradise.
See you soon!
:)
So far I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the conservation efforts undertaken by authorities at the park and also by the economic benefits that have clearly flowed to the Tibetan minority locals. The environment seems pristine and the locals happy with their more modern new homes, but a few glimpses of submerged rubbish, the profusion of mobile phone towers and the obvious transformation of the lifestyles of local people in the park shows that unresolved issues remain. Financial benefits aside- what of the effect on cultural wealth of the locals? Why is their no school nearby so that local Tibetans must send their children to the big city where they forget their language and adopt the ways of the Han mainstream? Maybe this is convenient for the state, but what of beauty in diversity?
My work may well focus more on developing areas of the park not yet open to many tourists, and on other valleys outside the park where potential for eco-tourism is great and local culture has not been degraded. In just the first few days we have met many local people, community leaders tourism workers and park staff. Its great to chat with them to get a sense of place, community and life conditions. We’ve watched two cultural shows- the 2nd a spectacular opera- a dazzling combination of colour, light, elaborate background and costumes, stories, dancing and song that conveyed a proud sense of the Tibetan people and their beliefs. In recent days we’ve met with 3 different village committees, visited the county seat to critique an exhibition, reviewed the visitor centre and visited 3 valleys earmarked for eco-tourism development (my job). I’ve met a lot of staff, played pleasantries with the directors, given out a few gifts and drunk plenty of toasts in the Chinese fashion.
Before I came here, my journey in China began in a conference centre in the suburbs of sprawling Beijing. Everywhere it seemed there were massive traffic clogged roads, high rises buildings and smog. Making the journey by subway and buses to the city centre, Tiananmen square, Jiangshan park, Wangfujing shopping district and the summer palace was more than worth it for the world-matching monuments, and provided that sense of place and orientation that I missed out in the suburbs. The summer palace and forbidden city was a reminder of imperial glory, while flashy wangfujing shopping street was a demonstration of China new-found wealth and neon-lights capitalism. At the summer palace, every info sign reminded visitors how each building was burnt down by the Anglo-French forces in 1860, a sign of the ‘grievance’ nationalism promoted by various Chinese leaders (especially Mao), mainly for political purposes. Our accom building was close to the Olympic site though, just a few bus stops up the ring road so I snuck up there one day in the lunch break between our training sessions and wandered around the imposing structures- the ‘birds nest’ with its webbed-spokes like appearance, the ‘ice cube’ spectacularly lit up at night and gymnastics dome. Many Chinese tourists getting their belated dose of Olympic fervour. Also sampled the nightlife scene in Beijing. Didnt know what to expect in the capital of communist china where 'liberty' is hardly the motto of the town. In Nanluguoxiang district met up with other AYADs and expats at a rooftop bar between two ancient Drum and Bell towers, then took a walk down the bar district where tradtional hutong architecture met backpacker nighlife haunt in a east-west juxtaposition. Cool atmosphere. Later, in the expat realm of sanlitou, the character-less neon lights, dancing girls and commerical feel was hardly charming. It left me heading home wondering if it was the usual life for most diplomats in China (being right in the embassy zone), to often spend an average half-weeks wages of a local worker on each drink in these seedy bars.
Chengdu, my next stop, was another energetic city, famous for spicy food (and women- known as ‘la meizi’- spice girls), tea-drinking culture, and more recently as the capital of the province hit by the devastating may earthquake. Situated in the centre of a large natural basin, mountains in the distance on all sides, it is the agricultural and industrial centre of Western China with a long and proud history to rival even that of the capital Beijing. Unfortunately, the basin geography also makes for cloudy, humid weather (only 28% of days with any sunshine) and while I was visiting there was no exception. There for 4-days, I had a lot of shopping to do and time for some sightseeing too. This time, my hotel was right in the centre of town, all I need to do was look out my window to see the milling crowds of thousands of fashionable youngsters strolling through the ‘chun xi lu’ shopping mall, fast food, jewellery and expensive clothing stores all around. OK, so phaps on my volunteers budget this was not the place for me to shop!. First, after some extensive negotiation, I bought a bicycle for 800 CNY, got extra fitted, seat raised, boxed (for flight) and starting happily pedalling my way through around and across the streets and suburbs of Chengdu. Being without a decent map, it was a bit hit and miss at times but getting lost is of course half the fun and this is how I got to know the town. Visiting parks and temples, a university, department stores, old alleys and the city square with its big Mao-statue, eventually found a shoe store that had my size way out in the suburbs at a busy shopping district where the ‘real’ locals shopped and prices where much cheaper. Its cold up at the park, so I collected lots of warm gear and piled them on my bike rack and set off again. Wenshu temple was a highlight of Chengdu, majestic and serene profound messages on the walls and beautiful architecture to admire, I found my first few moments of real peace since arriving in China while sitting in a garden-lake pagoda while the soaking rain kept crowds away.
Taking the 40-min flight up to Jiuzhai-Huanglong airport, I managed to smuggle my bicycle aboard along with piles of luggage without paying fees, and was presented with towering peaks of jagged, bare brown stone, backed by endless waves of mountains and ridges disappearing off into the distance. I had reached the edge of the roof of the world, the path to the Tibetan plateau and landed above 3000m in a yak-farmed brown valley rimmed by peaks. Since then, the mountains have been the maiden forever at my side, and the local Tibetan people with their warmth are the mystery into which I am slowing delving. The air is clean and crisp and the water clear. Yes, this is a paradise.
See you soon!
:)
Saturday, October 25, 2008
surviving arriving (thriving?)
So welcome to China
My name is Callum
i will be your tour guide for the duration of this 1-year ecotourism experiental exploration.
Based in Sichuan province, at beautiful Jiuzhaigou national park, we hope to explore the confines of this world famous reserve and get to know many of the conservation and community issues behind the pragmatic veil of apparent harmony promoted for tourism $$'s.
There should also be the chance to describe many of the famous wonders of China as i take time off to explore around Sichuan and beyond.
Right now, about a week after arriving in China, im in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, still struggling to adapt to the hordes of blank-staring crowds and accept the highly frustrating language challenges. In a few days time i will travel to jiuzhaigou to begin my 10-month assignment as an ecotourism officer through the AYAD program. So that should be when things get interesting.
In many ways i was glad for the week just had in Beijing to prepare (e.g. sightseeing opportunities- tiananmen, summer palace, olympic site and more) with 'training', but in other ways the experience had just raised more questions. Perhaps this 'vagueness' will be a recurring theme of journeys in China, where subtlety and contradiction are often valued before clarity of expression. I'ts obviously a fascinating nation of vast potential and i plan to immerse myself in its culture as deeply as i can, but im also potently aware that i am and always will be an outsider looking-in, an observer who can never truly participate in the cultural performance. As if being a 6 foot 3 redhead isn't enough to stand out, there are other indelible stamps of upbringing on my soul that separate me. So where's the common ground? why am i here? we'll, we are all human, right? And on this planet together, there's some responsibility to work together. I've also learned, after years in SE asia following the investigative instinct, to appreciate buddhism. convenient then that in a couple of days i will have a chance to visit the largest buddha on earth, Luoshan Dafo. And after that, mr confucius (please dont confuse us!) should be my next target. the analects are already in the bag. Lao Tzu, Dao too!
So, with some fortune, ive survived the first week wandering through traffic chaos and unearthly smog. just another 45 or so of those weeks to go, and you will hear from me in some of those
next time youll hear more of beijing, my amusing colleagues and the beauty of jiuzhagou
1st post signing off
well wishes to you
callum
My name is Callum
i will be your tour guide for the duration of this 1-year ecotourism experiental exploration.
Based in Sichuan province, at beautiful Jiuzhaigou national park, we hope to explore the confines of this world famous reserve and get to know many of the conservation and community issues behind the pragmatic veil of apparent harmony promoted for tourism $$'s.
There should also be the chance to describe many of the famous wonders of China as i take time off to explore around Sichuan and beyond.
Right now, about a week after arriving in China, im in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan, still struggling to adapt to the hordes of blank-staring crowds and accept the highly frustrating language challenges. In a few days time i will travel to jiuzhaigou to begin my 10-month assignment as an ecotourism officer through the AYAD program. So that should be when things get interesting.
In many ways i was glad for the week just had in Beijing to prepare (e.g. sightseeing opportunities- tiananmen, summer palace, olympic site and more) with 'training', but in other ways the experience had just raised more questions. Perhaps this 'vagueness' will be a recurring theme of journeys in China, where subtlety and contradiction are often valued before clarity of expression. I'ts obviously a fascinating nation of vast potential and i plan to immerse myself in its culture as deeply as i can, but im also potently aware that i am and always will be an outsider looking-in, an observer who can never truly participate in the cultural performance. As if being a 6 foot 3 redhead isn't enough to stand out, there are other indelible stamps of upbringing on my soul that separate me. So where's the common ground? why am i here? we'll, we are all human, right? And on this planet together, there's some responsibility to work together. I've also learned, after years in SE asia following the investigative instinct, to appreciate buddhism. convenient then that in a couple of days i will have a chance to visit the largest buddha on earth, Luoshan Dafo. And after that, mr confucius (please dont confuse us!) should be my next target. the analects are already in the bag. Lao Tzu, Dao too!
So, with some fortune, ive survived the first week wandering through traffic chaos and unearthly smog. just another 45 or so of those weeks to go, and you will hear from me in some of those
next time youll hear more of beijing, my amusing colleagues and the beauty of jiuzhagou
1st post signing off
well wishes to you
callum
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