So, while i had planned for my next post to be a record of observations on the teachings of Confucius, the tasks of reviewing The Analects to find meaningful quotes has been a subject of repeated procrastination for the past few weeks, and i've been distracted by other interesting books such as Peter Hopkirk's The Great Game.....
So that story will come later, but for now i feel obliged to relate a few entertaining tales from just the last two day's events here at the mountainous paradise of Jiuzhaigou.
After a heavy night of drinking on the 9th of feb, including a trip down the road to the county capital to see the peoples colourful dancing show and join the street crowds in festivities, i woke up in a haze the next morning, thinking to myself that i need some decent exercise to exorcise the lingering hangoverof the previous nights spirits...
and so i dashed outside to the patch of rough grass between our apartment building and the river with my running shoes on and a soccer ball at my feet. As i ran out i noticed a group of well-dressed folks, where few people had ever been seen before. It was my well-connected housemate with a group of the park directors and associated big-wigs walking in the same direction i was headed- apparently i found out later the were walking off some of there own drinking from that very morning and enjoying the spring-like weather. I figured i'd just go about what i was doing anyway despite these guys, and contentedly started kicking and chasing the ball accross the rough grassy ground. But it was only a few kicks later that i gave it just too much of an almighty boot (maybe releasing some pent up frustration there...) and i watched in horror as the ball kept rolling away in the distance towards the unguarded river and suddenly dropped over the wall and into the stream.
'What a fool i am!' i thought- what's the good of exercise to vent when it ends in calamities such as this- e.g. my friends only good imported soccer ball fast-flowing down the steep and freezing cold rocky river beside our home- a river that none have been known to venture within (especially since several locals have drowned in there). In any case i figured my only hope was to dash after the ball rather than look like a complete fool in front of all these decision-makers (if it wasn't too late already!). After one failed attempt to recover the ball by stepping out onto some stones beside the riverbank, i dashed further downstream along the top of the narrow wall, chasing after the ball while realising that as the ball had moved into the centre of the river my only hope was to enter the main flow of the powerful current in order to recover it. So, determined as i was, into the water i got, stumbling over boulders, against the will of comrades who warned i could be washed away, and managed to pluck the ball out of the current, losing my footing and being pulled down the rapids for a few metres before regaining my step and pulling myself ashore. It was to their great amusement then, that i walked back past the group (which i now noticed included the main man- park director himself) who had been watching the whole thing, myself compltely soaking wet, but proudly holding the ball in my hand, they laughed at me for a few moments before one of them suggested i go back to change my clothes- an idea to which i concurred...
Later in the afternoon i was told by the acting science director that she had 'good news' - i was to be toasted that evening by the parks vice-director Mr Feng (one of the guys that had been watching on earlier) at a banquet attended by various decision makers, and this would be a chance for me to 'talk-shop' and express my views on important work matters. So i put on a shirt and trousers and prepared for a session of traditional Chinese-style socializing- over piles of food and excessive drink. I'm still not really accustomed to such events but they are a vital part of relationship building in China- as my housemate put it 'this should be good for guanxi'. However, i am a fairly straightforward guy, beleiving that to be a virtue, and the subtle messages and strategic games of 'high-context' Chinese style small-talk don't necessarily mix well with this attitude....
As i said to my Irish colleague after he questioned if i understood the meaning of something i had said in Chinese in mimicking the words of a Chinese colleague (she had been telling me to force the boss to drink by asking him not to 'lose my face'). "I don't care about my face" - meaning that i don't care how i look to others- rather i care about my inner sense of truth, conscience and righteousness- but ironically it is just this feature (which i have always assumed to be a virtue) which may put me so out of place in China- a place where 'face' is so central to social interaction, reputation and advancement. So perhaps such a blunt dismissal of a central concept of Chinese culture didn't do me any favours in front of such sensitive decision-makers. but then again, i am still a 'newbie', it takes time for such tastes to be acquired, while to excuse my blunt honesty i like to think of the phrase that sits atop the great symbol of Indian Nationhood, The Ashokan Pillar, and states 'Truth Alone Triumphs' (anyone seen the movie 'slum-dog millionaire'...?).
The host of our banquet, Vice-director Feng, also caught my attention when, amongst all the good-natured playfulness of trying to avoid drinking with his co-host and fellow vice-director Ding- as she goaded him to drink more and more, he made a smiling comment that was rapidly translated by the vice-director of my department "If i believe her, then there is no truth in this world...." uuummm. This comment seemed to echo some of my own occasional migivings about the feminine sex... Though i might be branded a misoginist, i'd be honest to concur and say that it had occured to me before that such imperceptability of 'truth' seemed to be a common flaw among women? :)
Or maybe men are the fools to try and see things in black and white..... Anyway, i can say the search for such clarity is at least a worthy goal worth pursuing..... and women are most welcome to try too! ;)
Over the course of the evening, i was put under heavy pressure to consume numerous shots of the super strong 'baijiu' (white liquor- 52% alcohol), and encouraged to get the top-directors drunk along with myself. This is probably fortunate as it helps me get over my initial nervousness and toungue-tiedness at such unfamiliar events. It seems i've also got a reputation for being able to hold my drink, so the duty of repeatedly toasting the directors (and thus sharing shots with them), to make sure they had a 'good night', thus fell upon me.
As the night wore on, It was laughs all around as people tried to avoid being the one to drink the most baijiu, with most attention focussed on the 2 vice directors- mr feng and a karismatic female vice-director whom i had never met. The vernacular of chattings was Chinese, so a good chance to practice what i've been learning. It seems to flow out smoothly or not, whether in correct grammatical from or not i'm not sure but the locals let it pass either way.
Meanwhile, my colleague's plan to ply these top authority figures with wine backfired, as it turned out he and his girlfriend were the one's most worse for wear, falling over limply as they tried to stumble out of the restaurant.... so it was that i ended up carrying one of them for the short walk home to our apartment, and lifting the other to bed after she had disturbingly become unconcious and thrown-up red wine and chillis all over her clothes. Had me a bit worried, and it was while i was attending to her that the 2 directors who had momentarily come back to the apartment with us, took their chance to sneak out instead of continuing the party....(i'd say they were worrying about their 'face' if they stayed on and got more drunk...)
A recent fortunate development here at the park has been the warming weather. Winds so warm it felt almost like summer, let alone spring, had arrived early started to blow across the valley, while the days have got longer and sun penetrates the sky with more power in its shine. Far from the dire predictions of my Irish housemates who told me that February was the coldest month and winter lingered on deep into March, instead, long gone is the thick Tibetan fur coat that i used to immediately put on upon returning home from work, and needless the say, the electric blanket has been cranked down a few notches. not sure if i should be celebrating this warmth, as with the searing heat and devastating fires back home down under, it may be a sign of changing temperatures the world over, with worse to come. I'm still holding out hope for some snow before the winter is over as the sight of jiuzhaigou's hills and forests carpeted in white is famous, especially exciting for a warm climate son like myself and this is probably be my only winter here...
Other than that, not too much to report except that i snapped my finger playing basketball 3 weeks ago. It's not too reassuring to look at your hand and see parts of fingers jutting out in bizarre directions.. prolly should have iced it up... as now it's even still a bit sore...
I've also been devoting some time in the office to teaching English to some of my colleagues, a good way to build rapport and feel useful. In exchange, one of my colleagues has promised to teach me Mahjong- a popular Chinese board game. But i have vowed not to become mixed up in the big money gambling scene that this pasttime is associated with....
Catch u later friends :)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Searching for progressive China
The title of this post 'searching for progressive China' has been one of the themes of the time i've spent in this country. Some might say i am foolish, unrealistic, trying to search for progressive China while living in a self-enclosed community in one of the most isolated pockets of mountainous Sichuan province. But i feel bound to take up this search. Because mine own destiny in this country depends on the door being open to this avenue of hope. Being the idealist son of 60's generation parents, i could hardly tolerate living amongst an atmosphere of pervasive conservatism and opression, and so would be forced to leave. In the place where i live, my western colleagues use the excuse 'you can't change Chinese culture' as a reason to follow the local political habits. Then, by asserting their authority and befriending the high players, they have crafted their own patch of political turf in the office hierarchy . But these games don't appeal to me. Anywhere in the world, simply saying that one must follow the local way is no excuse for unscrupulousness.
Chinese culture is not a fixed object. It changes and transforms along with everything else in this world. The only duty we can truly have in this world is to push with our weight of influence, that transformative flow towards the direction that we most deeply know and feel is the direction of righteousness. So i, in my limited capacities, will push for progress here even though it might seem to be against the flow. How can one remain an honest and independent broker if we are too close to the powerplayers ans decision-makers? In that way we could end up being used as a source of foreign 'expert' validation for greedy or misguided tourism development planned from the top without deep consideration or consultation.
Here in Jiuzhaigou, what the leaders says, goes. When a prefectural governor visits and makes a passing comment that the perfectly serviceable wooden walking trails are looking a bit old- 40kms of boardwalk are torn up the next day. Meanwhile, the conservation goals of ecotourism get little funding due to an alomst complete lack of understanding and enthusiasm. After all, how is ecotourism going to help their political goals?
Nationalism:
In my discourse with Chinese people in general, i regularly have come across a deep and irrational sense of nationalism, which is apparently government encouraged (especially since tiananmen 20 years ago) for purposes of national unity and security for their regime. This is a standard practice used by those in power across the world since time immemorial. And it is especially convenient to make foreigners the enemy in Tibetan areas where national loyalties are more questionable and westerners, with the popularity of the Tibetan cause, are seen as a source of separatism. So, this nationalism is often accompanied by suspicion of me as a foreigner. When i tried to travel to the prefecture capital a couple of months ago, i was treated like a criminal and accused of being a reporter by a bunch of policeman staring at me with hostile eyes, ears simply dead to my friendly protestations.
Others nationalistically like to put me in my place as someone who, as an outsider, couldn't possibly understand Chinese people and history. This maybe true to some extent, but the way it is used is to excuse a kind of xenophobia that has no basis in logic at all. But i refuse to live in fear. And as a person who is not against China, or Chinese people, but someone who scrupulously guards his objectivity, i refuse to be silenced. I think, in the end, this is the most worthwhile path to take.
Some of these factors point to a basic contradiction in China's outlook. While they are paranoid of foreigners and view large parts of Western China as no-go zones for any foreign nationals, they also are supposed to be opening up to the world and becoming a responsible International Actor.
It is fair to say though, that if i was based in China, in an area where the governmental shadow is not cast so heavily, i would likely have come out with a different perspective. The only way to find out, i guess, is to go and live in the more developed and more open Eastern cities (unfortunately these cities are amongst the smog too!)- so i'll closely consider taking an English teaching job in one of those cities.
Politics & Hope:
Of course the hope for a better world is definitely there, somewhere, in the hearts and minds of the Chinese people, but against a long tradition of conservatism, it often remains deep under the surface. What, with a proud history of 000s of years and a tradition of authoritarianism, the temptation to look back at what has come before and mentally project that as an unchanging pattern into our anticipation for the future is always strong, despite the revolutionary protestations of a new system and new regime.
In the youth of the cities that i have met, particularly the women and the educated, but also the men, i sense a more open attitude.
Even in the 2nd ranked leader, Premier Wen Jiabao, there is a spark in the eye and a human touch that has garnered him the affectionate name from his people 'grandfather Wen'. He even recently quoted Franklin D.Rosovelt when discussing the economic crisis by stating; "We have nothing to fear but fear itself".
Though it seems unfortunately that the same cannot be said for the no.1 cadre, President Hu Jintao. He is known as the man who ordered troops into Tibet after the Tiananmen square protest in 1989. Soon after taking this decision he was elevated to the Central Committee of the ruling party. His stiffness at overseas engagements is painfully obvious as a sign of his conservatism.
Hu Jintao quotes:
"China will continue to build up democracy with it's own characteristics and improve it's people's human rights based on the actual situation and the aspiration of the people"
"We have pursued profound change without ever giving up China's unique brand of socialism, and so have been able to bring about great reforms,”
“featuring a more developed economy, improved democracy, advanced science and education ... and higher living standards for the entire 1.3 billion people.”
Even the relatively conservative US think-tank Centre for American Progress agrees that:
"the Chinese government is imposing more accountability on officials and providing more societal input into policy decisions".
"By meeting the legitimate demands of its citizens for freedom and openness, China's leaders can help their country grow into a modern, prosperous and confident nation.”
And it is clear to me that China's system, with it's active governance style, rejection of imperialism and emphasis on human outcomes, is a force whose influence could potentially help to cure some of the ills of the capitalist-ruled western democracies. But a lack of criticism from the far-right in the US is not necessarily a good sign. Oppression of the left and oppression of the right are remarkably similar, as pointed out by great authors such as Noam Chomsky in his books on the Cold War. Meanwhile, a mutually-power preserving alliance of the capitalist establishment and a Chinese government elite, fearful of US military power, is not out of the question.
I hope all these various ideas can give some new ideas and make these issues a little clearer to you. Its hardly a simple matter but time will tell. I suppose we can just try to maintain a human approach while preserving our own openness to China, refusing to become a victim of the xenophobia of which we accuse others.
Below i add a couple of posts i made recently to my facebook group 'Anti-Imperialista':
Post 1:
Here in China recently passed the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, as it is known. Hushed-up and unknown, the date of June 4 means little in China, despite the fact that on this date in 1989 an event took place which shook their nations history. The government claims that the movement was a western-inspired bourgeois-capitalist uprising, but historic records indicate that it was a student movement which was asking for government accountability and gradually gaining support from mainstream Chinese society, threatening those in power. A friend of mine who was there at the time, reports how the song of choice among the crowds was the 'Internationale' the anthem of the global socialist movement. As it was, cold steel and a campaign of fear won the day. The government has much to answer for. They now claim legitimacy based on their ability to deliver improved livelihood to their people, which has much merit, but the time for political freedom must come too. We shall see.
Post 2:
Re. Tiananmen Square, Living here in an isolated community in the mountains of Western China, the idea of political freedom seems a very distant concept. Subtly trying to discuss this event with some close colleagues, the subject was quickly met with an awkwardness, likely born out of a combination of fear and misinformation. Ironically, it is the Tibetan leaders in this autonomous prefecture, who in the name of Socialism, now oppress their own people. General submissiveness to authority is relied upon to perpetuate rule as much as it was in the days of the Dalai Lama's rule over this region. Change is slow and must come from without. Please come and visit this beautiful place, Jiuzhaigou, and see for yourself, chat to the people, helping themselves to imagine what is possible.
Hope all is well back home!
Chinese culture is not a fixed object. It changes and transforms along with everything else in this world. The only duty we can truly have in this world is to push with our weight of influence, that transformative flow towards the direction that we most deeply know and feel is the direction of righteousness. So i, in my limited capacities, will push for progress here even though it might seem to be against the flow. How can one remain an honest and independent broker if we are too close to the powerplayers ans decision-makers? In that way we could end up being used as a source of foreign 'expert' validation for greedy or misguided tourism development planned from the top without deep consideration or consultation.
Here in Jiuzhaigou, what the leaders says, goes. When a prefectural governor visits and makes a passing comment that the perfectly serviceable wooden walking trails are looking a bit old- 40kms of boardwalk are torn up the next day. Meanwhile, the conservation goals of ecotourism get little funding due to an alomst complete lack of understanding and enthusiasm. After all, how is ecotourism going to help their political goals?
Nationalism:
In my discourse with Chinese people in general, i regularly have come across a deep and irrational sense of nationalism, which is apparently government encouraged (especially since tiananmen 20 years ago) for purposes of national unity and security for their regime. This is a standard practice used by those in power across the world since time immemorial. And it is especially convenient to make foreigners the enemy in Tibetan areas where national loyalties are more questionable and westerners, with the popularity of the Tibetan cause, are seen as a source of separatism. So, this nationalism is often accompanied by suspicion of me as a foreigner. When i tried to travel to the prefecture capital a couple of months ago, i was treated like a criminal and accused of being a reporter by a bunch of policeman staring at me with hostile eyes, ears simply dead to my friendly protestations.
Others nationalistically like to put me in my place as someone who, as an outsider, couldn't possibly understand Chinese people and history. This maybe true to some extent, but the way it is used is to excuse a kind of xenophobia that has no basis in logic at all. But i refuse to live in fear. And as a person who is not against China, or Chinese people, but someone who scrupulously guards his objectivity, i refuse to be silenced. I think, in the end, this is the most worthwhile path to take.
Some of these factors point to a basic contradiction in China's outlook. While they are paranoid of foreigners and view large parts of Western China as no-go zones for any foreign nationals, they also are supposed to be opening up to the world and becoming a responsible International Actor.
It is fair to say though, that if i was based in China, in an area where the governmental shadow is not cast so heavily, i would likely have come out with a different perspective. The only way to find out, i guess, is to go and live in the more developed and more open Eastern cities (unfortunately these cities are amongst the smog too!)- so i'll closely consider taking an English teaching job in one of those cities.
Politics & Hope:
Of course the hope for a better world is definitely there, somewhere, in the hearts and minds of the Chinese people, but against a long tradition of conservatism, it often remains deep under the surface. What, with a proud history of 000s of years and a tradition of authoritarianism, the temptation to look back at what has come before and mentally project that as an unchanging pattern into our anticipation for the future is always strong, despite the revolutionary protestations of a new system and new regime.
In the youth of the cities that i have met, particularly the women and the educated, but also the men, i sense a more open attitude.
Even in the 2nd ranked leader, Premier Wen Jiabao, there is a spark in the eye and a human touch that has garnered him the affectionate name from his people 'grandfather Wen'. He even recently quoted Franklin D.Rosovelt when discussing the economic crisis by stating; "We have nothing to fear but fear itself".
Though it seems unfortunately that the same cannot be said for the no.1 cadre, President Hu Jintao. He is known as the man who ordered troops into Tibet after the Tiananmen square protest in 1989. Soon after taking this decision he was elevated to the Central Committee of the ruling party. His stiffness at overseas engagements is painfully obvious as a sign of his conservatism.
Hu Jintao quotes:
"China will continue to build up democracy with it's own characteristics and improve it's people's human rights based on the actual situation and the aspiration of the people"
"We have pursued profound change without ever giving up China's unique brand of socialism, and so have been able to bring about great reforms,”
“featuring a more developed economy, improved democracy, advanced science and education ... and higher living standards for the entire 1.3 billion people.”
Even the relatively conservative US think-tank Centre for American Progress agrees that:
"the Chinese government is imposing more accountability on officials and providing more societal input into policy decisions".
"By meeting the legitimate demands of its citizens for freedom and openness, China's leaders can help their country grow into a modern, prosperous and confident nation.”
And it is clear to me that China's system, with it's active governance style, rejection of imperialism and emphasis on human outcomes, is a force whose influence could potentially help to cure some of the ills of the capitalist-ruled western democracies. But a lack of criticism from the far-right in the US is not necessarily a good sign. Oppression of the left and oppression of the right are remarkably similar, as pointed out by great authors such as Noam Chomsky in his books on the Cold War. Meanwhile, a mutually-power preserving alliance of the capitalist establishment and a Chinese government elite, fearful of US military power, is not out of the question.
I hope all these various ideas can give some new ideas and make these issues a little clearer to you. Its hardly a simple matter but time will tell. I suppose we can just try to maintain a human approach while preserving our own openness to China, refusing to become a victim of the xenophobia of which we accuse others.
Below i add a couple of posts i made recently to my facebook group 'Anti-Imperialista':
Post 1:
Here in China recently passed the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, as it is known. Hushed-up and unknown, the date of June 4 means little in China, despite the fact that on this date in 1989 an event took place which shook their nations history. The government claims that the movement was a western-inspired bourgeois-capitalist uprising, but historic records indicate that it was a student movement which was asking for government accountability and gradually gaining support from mainstream Chinese society, threatening those in power. A friend of mine who was there at the time, reports how the song of choice among the crowds was the 'Internationale' the anthem of the global socialist movement. As it was, cold steel and a campaign of fear won the day. The government has much to answer for. They now claim legitimacy based on their ability to deliver improved livelihood to their people, which has much merit, but the time for political freedom must come too. We shall see.
Post 2:
Re. Tiananmen Square, Living here in an isolated community in the mountains of Western China, the idea of political freedom seems a very distant concept. Subtly trying to discuss this event with some close colleagues, the subject was quickly met with an awkwardness, likely born out of a combination of fear and misinformation. Ironically, it is the Tibetan leaders in this autonomous prefecture, who in the name of Socialism, now oppress their own people. General submissiveness to authority is relied upon to perpetuate rule as much as it was in the days of the Dalai Lama's rule over this region. Change is slow and must come from without. Please come and visit this beautiful place, Jiuzhaigou, and see for yourself, chat to the people, helping themselves to imagine what is possible.
Hope all is well back home!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Confucian Analects
Having recently finished reading the Confucian classic text 'The Analects', i want to share some of the observations i have made with you.
I have often heard the term 'Confucian Hierarchy' used in descriptions of Asian culture. but after reading The Analects i can say that the implication that Confucius promoted strict social hierarchy in the way we understand it today is misleading. While he often refers to loyalty to one's superiors as a duty, this is in the spirit of service and not in the spirit of submissiveness or tyranny of the powerful. For example, he often says that if you don't agree with the actions of the superior whom you serve, it is your duty to speak out against them, or you can be held responsible for the results of their improper action. And Confucius himself often moved around between states in service of their rulers according to how well the rules of propriety were being upheld in any place. While the text itself is sometimes paradoxical and self-contradictory, and Confucius himself a flawed man in many ways (e.g. he asks for forgiveness after consorting with a wicked concubine of one of the rulers he served), there's lots of good advice on how to balance various pressures in life to find a 'middle-way'. The text is assertive of facts but not superstitious or theological (the closest it gets is mentioning 'heavens will' and 'the way'). This echoes a kind of message heard from well-meaning thinkers through history- there is no (vengeful, all powerful) god, but there is good. Regular mentions of gentlemanliness and civility remind me of old English chivalry and European aristocratic values. Maybe those boastful scholars from the Confucian temple in Beijing that i mentioned in an early post were not so wrong after all......
Here are some quotes from The Analects that, to me, seem fundamental:
Book 1, paragraph 1: "That friends should come to one from afar, is this not after all delightful?"- useful for encouraging hospitality to foreigners....
"To remain unsoured even though one's merits are unrecognised by others, is that not afterall what is expected of a gentleman?"
para 3: "clever talk and a pretentious manner are seldom found in the good"
para 10: "our master (Confucius) gets things done by being cordial, frank, courteous, temperate, deferential"
para 15: "poor, yet delighting in the way, rich, yet a student of ritual"
Book 2: "let there be no evil in your thoughts"
"Govern the people by moral force, keep order among them by ritual and they will keep their self-respect and come to you of their own accord"
"A gentleman does not preach what he practices until he has practiced what he preaches"
"A Gentleman can see a question from all sides without bias. The small man is biased and can see a question from only one side."
"He who learns but does not think is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger."
He often talks about truth (reliability) and loyalty, service, courage and learning from the ancients (e.g. Book of Songs)
It is demanded that authorities should not abuse labour (only assign tasks that people are capable of) and rulers should be affectionate towards their subjects
Also rating a mention is the need to admit mistakes- take responsibility as we might say- and by following these methods we can 'build up moral force' which gives us power and persuasiveness.
Many of these practical principles espoused by Confucius maintain their relevance into modern times- and offer an seem to contain an earthy wisdom that is a welcome relief from the polarizing religious and ideological dogmas that still persist into the 21st century.
More difficult for modern societies to accept would be the misogynist elements (3 submissions to father, husband and son) of Confucius teaching- which, as essential cultural habits of his time and place- were in all probably-hood- simply adopted for popularity amongst stability-adoring Chinese kings.
Simultaneous to my perusing of the teaching of Confucius, my health has been struggling to adapt to life at 2000m in the cold, high mountains of northern Sichuan. Perhaps such an ancient remedy as those used in Confucius times could warm my chilled bones, but none such traditional healers are to be found in this tourist town ('It's a trick'- i've been told by modernity-loving communist party members), though many rare herbs are known to litter the slopes.
Fortunately my knowing father sent some modern-style supplements to give my immunity a boost, and my newly formed habit of playing regular B'ball has a way of improving circulation, keeping me warm and healthy.- 'Hen li hai'- colleagues say to describe my b'ball game.
Unfortunately the cold also makes one's more susceptible to injuries, and so it was that in the heat of play one afternoon the sharp jabbing of the ball into my little finger left it poking out at an awkward angle, dislocated for all to see. With a growl, I popped it back in and kept playing, but this injury was to come back to haunt me...
Other events happening around this time were the visit of AYAD Peter (Wang Xingzui's assistant) from Beijing, with whom i had some interesting cross-cultural discussions (he seemed intent on playing teacher), and we also discussed the future possibilities of AYAD-JZG co-operation.
2009 is also the China year of ecotourism- as launched with some fanfare by a posse of party leaders (though not highest level) at a ceremony in Hainan recently. The words in their speeches that day inspired some hope- e.g. acknowledging the complementarity of ecotourism with China's future development goals and opening up policies. However, this apparent enthusiasm was not later backed up by actual policies or initiatives, as i fruitlessly waited all year for any new policy announcements on the pages of the relevant government websites related to tourism and environment. The hype was all huff and puff it seemed- perhaps motivated in large part by the narrow interests of developers who (in cahoots with government officials) have been making millions at the expense of the environment while property prices skyrocketed during the past decade in Hainan.
We'll these musings are over for now, an old time recalled and recorded to some completion, I hope it is of some relevance and interest to you. Best of health and happiness as always
Callum
I have often heard the term 'Confucian Hierarchy' used in descriptions of Asian culture. but after reading The Analects i can say that the implication that Confucius promoted strict social hierarchy in the way we understand it today is misleading. While he often refers to loyalty to one's superiors as a duty, this is in the spirit of service and not in the spirit of submissiveness or tyranny of the powerful. For example, he often says that if you don't agree with the actions of the superior whom you serve, it is your duty to speak out against them, or you can be held responsible for the results of their improper action. And Confucius himself often moved around between states in service of their rulers according to how well the rules of propriety were being upheld in any place. While the text itself is sometimes paradoxical and self-contradictory, and Confucius himself a flawed man in many ways (e.g. he asks for forgiveness after consorting with a wicked concubine of one of the rulers he served), there's lots of good advice on how to balance various pressures in life to find a 'middle-way'. The text is assertive of facts but not superstitious or theological (the closest it gets is mentioning 'heavens will' and 'the way'). This echoes a kind of message heard from well-meaning thinkers through history- there is no (vengeful, all powerful) god, but there is good. Regular mentions of gentlemanliness and civility remind me of old English chivalry and European aristocratic values. Maybe those boastful scholars from the Confucian temple in Beijing that i mentioned in an early post were not so wrong after all......
Here are some quotes from The Analects that, to me, seem fundamental:
Book 1, paragraph 1: "That friends should come to one from afar, is this not after all delightful?"- useful for encouraging hospitality to foreigners....
"To remain unsoured even though one's merits are unrecognised by others, is that not afterall what is expected of a gentleman?"
para 3: "clever talk and a pretentious manner are seldom found in the good"
para 10: "our master (Confucius) gets things done by being cordial, frank, courteous, temperate, deferential"
para 15: "poor, yet delighting in the way, rich, yet a student of ritual"
Book 2: "let there be no evil in your thoughts"
"Govern the people by moral force, keep order among them by ritual and they will keep their self-respect and come to you of their own accord"
"A gentleman does not preach what he practices until he has practiced what he preaches"
"A Gentleman can see a question from all sides without bias. The small man is biased and can see a question from only one side."
"He who learns but does not think is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger."
He often talks about truth (reliability) and loyalty, service, courage and learning from the ancients (e.g. Book of Songs)
It is demanded that authorities should not abuse labour (only assign tasks that people are capable of) and rulers should be affectionate towards their subjects
Also rating a mention is the need to admit mistakes- take responsibility as we might say- and by following these methods we can 'build up moral force' which gives us power and persuasiveness.
Many of these practical principles espoused by Confucius maintain their relevance into modern times- and offer an seem to contain an earthy wisdom that is a welcome relief from the polarizing religious and ideological dogmas that still persist into the 21st century.
More difficult for modern societies to accept would be the misogynist elements (3 submissions to father, husband and son) of Confucius teaching- which, as essential cultural habits of his time and place- were in all probably-hood- simply adopted for popularity amongst stability-adoring Chinese kings.
Simultaneous to my perusing of the teaching of Confucius, my health has been struggling to adapt to life at 2000m in the cold, high mountains of northern Sichuan. Perhaps such an ancient remedy as those used in Confucius times could warm my chilled bones, but none such traditional healers are to be found in this tourist town ('It's a trick'- i've been told by modernity-loving communist party members), though many rare herbs are known to litter the slopes.
Fortunately my knowing father sent some modern-style supplements to give my immunity a boost, and my newly formed habit of playing regular B'ball has a way of improving circulation, keeping me warm and healthy.- 'Hen li hai'- colleagues say to describe my b'ball game.
Unfortunately the cold also makes one's more susceptible to injuries, and so it was that in the heat of play one afternoon the sharp jabbing of the ball into my little finger left it poking out at an awkward angle, dislocated for all to see. With a growl, I popped it back in and kept playing, but this injury was to come back to haunt me...
Other events happening around this time were the visit of AYAD Peter (Wang Xingzui's assistant) from Beijing, with whom i had some interesting cross-cultural discussions (he seemed intent on playing teacher), and we also discussed the future possibilities of AYAD-JZG co-operation.
2009 is also the China year of ecotourism- as launched with some fanfare by a posse of party leaders (though not highest level) at a ceremony in Hainan recently. The words in their speeches that day inspired some hope- e.g. acknowledging the complementarity of ecotourism with China's future development goals and opening up policies. However, this apparent enthusiasm was not later backed up by actual policies or initiatives, as i fruitlessly waited all year for any new policy announcements on the pages of the relevant government websites related to tourism and environment. The hype was all huff and puff it seemed- perhaps motivated in large part by the narrow interests of developers who (in cahoots with government officials) have been making millions at the expense of the environment while property prices skyrocketed during the past decade in Hainan.
We'll these musings are over for now, an old time recalled and recorded to some completion, I hope it is of some relevance and interest to you. Best of health and happiness as always
Callum
shifty buses & Chongqing hills
What i didn't have a chance to describe last time was the memorable experience of New Year's eve 2009 in the city of Xi'an. After spending the day of 31st dec riding a miniature rented bicycle around town to the Eight immortals temple, Big & Small Goose pagoda and back to city centre, my knees bumping against the handlebars the whole way, i peddled the last few kms with a flat tyre before settling back for a few moments rest at the hostel, pondering how to spend the evening. I might have passed the evening in a nonedescript way as most Chinese do, except for the lucky chance that the day before, in the Muslim street market of Xi'an, i had bizarrely bumped into a English photographer from Beijing who i had met and befriended on a bus from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou about a month earlier. I don't know so many Westerners in China, and to bump into one of them randomly like this in a street of a huge city that is neither of our home, the odd's seem long indeed. Anyway, as i had no other expat contacts in Xi'an, i took this as a sign that i should hang out with this guy and his GF for NYE. About 10pm i headed out, on the way hooking up with a couple of other revellers departing the hostel and taxied down to the Bell Tower in the centre of town- which i'd heard would be letting out a mighty tolling as the calendar ticked over to 2009- and was dramatically lit up under floodlights for the night. From there i explored some bars on a popular drinking street Gu Xiang, busy bars, live music, and overpriced drinks. After meeting up with my photographer friend and checking out a couple of these bars- we headed back to the a busy underground hostel bar with live music that was packed and crankin, downed a few shots and a LIIT or two, b4 making a run for it back to the bell tower in time for 12 o'clock. As it turned out, there was no tolling of the bell, but instead crowds of hundreds of young Chinese had gathered near the tower to release red lanterns into the sky and let off fireworks- as a way of bringing good luck for the new year, the atmosphere was excited (though not drunken as most NYE crowds i've known!) and people helped each other to light and launch their symbolic wishes. So as the clock chimed midnight, and the burst of fireworks and screams of revellers gave away that the new year had arrived, we got into the spirit and joined the throngs to fire-up and launch a lantern into the sky, making a wish while watching it sail up into the stratosphere.
Later on back i the bar, a few drinks and games of pool later, having chatted to various expats and locals alike, met up with some cool crowds and coupled up with a charming girl named Chalne, who, as it turned out, would become my travelling companion for the next week.
The following day i managed to awake in the afternoon in time to climb up on top of the city walls for a overview of the busy streets, historic and modern architecture, and crowds of tall apartment buildings surrounding. Watching the sunset over the city moat with my friend Chalne, as citizens exercised in parks below, the sky glowed red and the lights of the towers began to shine, it was a peaceful moment and a refreshing start to the new year, it even felt like almost anything was possible......
My goodbye gift from Xi'an, while on the bus on my way back to the hotel after visiting the terracotta warriors, was the theft of my wallet, niftily picked from my pocket by a young girl who blocked my passage as i pushed to get off the public bus. So all the coinage i had saved by mastering the public bus system (reading those routes maps in Chinese so i can get on the right bus was always a fun challenge...) to get around instead of taking taxis was instantly lost....She was really deft, and though it seemed strange that i had to push so hard to get through, i noticed no feeling as she reached around to the far pocket of my trousers and yanked my wallet from my all too shallow pockets. As i turned back after getting off the bus, the same girl who blocked my way, was smiling at me slyly from inside the bus, and it was only moments later that i discovered. I think she had spotted me as a potential target near the combined train/bus station (these busy transit areas are places to stay very alert- lots of hawkers and prowlers hanging out for a chance to grab a left-behind bag or dropped valuable or phaps worse). So a warning for travelers to Xi'an- this is one of the main tourist towns of China, and as many locals also warned, it supports a population of thieves and shikesters, don't be afraid, just be on your toes when in tourist areas.
From Xi'an, the only way to my next destination, Chongqing was by overnight bus (as the train was full) to Chengdu, from where i could switch in the morning to get to Chongqing. It turned out to be quite an unpleasant trip, taking 11 hours instead of 9 as promised, and sitting in the front row of seats meant that we were constantly swallowing the 2nd hand smoke of the addicted fools who sat beside the driver in order to light up. I told off a couple of them as i'm sure there's a law against smoking in these buses, but as they kept returning to light up, and there was no reference to no smoking on the ticket or bus itself, and the driver himself was often lighting up, i had to give up, voicing my protests instead through choking coughs. Not much sleep that night.....
In Chengdu i joined the throngs at the train station to line up to buy tickets to Chongqing (the train less than half the price of the bus...only $10aud for a 4.5 hour journey). During the couple hour wait for our train, sitting in an empty restaurant top floor, Chalne and i ranged in a sleep-dazed conversation from topics existential to the mundane, until i eventually started describing to her the principles of impermanence as conveyed through Buddhism. Then after this conservation, on the train, by chance we were seated beside a Buddhist monk, the only monk on the long and packed train. So we began chatting to the gentle practitioner on various topics including life as a monk, Tibetan culture, different schools of Buddhism, temples to visit and types of meditation. It was interesting to see that he couldn't resist buying several of each of the toys put on sale in showman-like fashion to all passengers in the carriage by the railway staff. Presumably he has plenty of cash (monks are these days given a salary by the government), quite a far cry for example from the Jain Sadhus i met in India and wrote about in my other blog..... Anyway he couldn't resist gifting us a couple of toothbrushes he bought, and the salesman (plus the whole carriage!) had a good laugh at me when i gave the toothbrush a demo run there and then ('you shouldn't do it without toothpaste!' the salesmen cried). Following this journey, discussions of Buddhism, yoga and meditation techniques became one of the main themes of mine and Chalne's relationship. Amongst these discussions, we both agreed on the transient nature of things, and we instead tried to enjoy the moment, undisturbed by the looks of disapproval as we calmed ourselves through concentration on the breath as we rode the busy public bus.
Chongqing was more than i expected. Far from the dull, industrial metropolis i had heard about, to me, it's charm was palatable and its atmosphere captivating. The natural geography of hilly streets and high density housing, commercial districts amongst concrete and pylons that lifted the city's arteries one on top of the other, plus stone-lined alleyways, street markets and old-style architecture hidden amongst the tall buildings, on a narrow peninsula flanked by 2 large rivers, it really took on the appearance of a huge multi-level maze, but one where the pleasure, not the puzzle, was in getting lost.
The center of town and main commerical district, Jiefangbei, had wide vehicle-free promenades lined with neon-lit fashion, electronics, western take way outlets and traditional Chongqing hotpot restaurants. With the local pride for spice, Chongqing hotpot is known to be even spicer than it's cousin the Sichuan hotpot, even with Sichuan's formidable reputation for fire (the Chinese saying in relation to regional cuisines goes 'Sichuan is for spicy hot'), and Chalne and i (with some trepidation) decided this was the chance to take on the spice challenge, and we climbed to the rooftop restaurant overlooking the mall. With these hotpots, you cook the food yourself in a big pot of spiced broth which sits in the centre of the table, and my first tentative taste of the soup was a warning, as a tiny drip on my little finger burned my toungue immeadiately upon contact. The hundreds of tiny red chillis in the soup broth really got me sweating and i had to gag to stop choking from the heat, while tears poured out of my eyes, but i kept eating. Quite tasty in fact. I survived the evening, but it wasn't until after i went to sleep the following night that i was hit by an explosive case of amoebic dysentry that lasted a good couple of days (requiring drastic pharmaceutical dosing to survive the 10 hour bus back from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou the following day). Not sure if it was the hotpot or the alleyway 50c noodles i ate the following night (amongst a genial crowd of local workers- the real folk) that finally did it to me but i can say im sure the fire-spice dinner had its affect.
Otherwise in Chongqing, i spent my time (oft with companion) wandering the streets, riding cable cars and climbing hills for overviews of the rivers, skyscrapers and city lights. One afternoon i took the bus to Ciqikou ancient town, a charming place overlooking the Jinjiang river of roughstone alleyways, wooden shuttered windows and white-washed, brown-lined narrow multistorey homes, that seems hardly to have changed in 500 years. Nowadays also a tourist enclave for food and handmade souvenirs, while wandering alleys here and snapping plenty pics, i chatted to Pakistani chefs plying their trade to interested local tourists and visited a serene Buddhist pagoda situated over and above the tourist shopping mayhem. Meeting friendly people on the bus there- who made sure i didn't get lost (even frantically waving directions out the window of the bus after i'd got off!), and practising Chinese with then was half the fun of the trip.
Chongqing is also famous as one of the last strongholds of the Kuomintang in their battle with the communists. They made it their capital after the fall of the Qing dynasty and many bloody battles were fought in this area, with communist memorials in the hills outside the city from where the red army based themselves and eventually overcame the nationalists in the bitter struggle, tales of siege and torture aside (these civil-war battles are now depicted daily on state television in a way that outspoken local Chinese academics recently described as propaganda and brainwashing for their one-sided promotion of the Communists)
The people in Chongqing also seemed remarkably friendly (apart from one old attendant lady in a temple who seemed to get sadistic pleasure from yelling at a foreigner with camera...), people didn't seem to stare, look at me strangely or try to rip me off, they were polite and helpful.... Quite civilized it seemed. A possible reason being coz there are much less foreigners here than in Chengdu so perhaps ppl. more inclined to show their best face when one comes along......;)
Maybe also i was looked upon more kindly too for being accompanied by a charming young Chinese girl like Chalne...
HEY- I forgot to mention in my last post- happy birthday to my dearest mother- on 19th Jan turned 50+ years young!
More dedications to my dear parents later.... this Chinese filial piety thing is infectious! Confucius has had a bit to say about that in his classic 'The Analects'- which ive recently read- rest assured i'll offer some interpretations of his teachings in the next post.....
Bye for now
cheers
callum
Later on back i the bar, a few drinks and games of pool later, having chatted to various expats and locals alike, met up with some cool crowds and coupled up with a charming girl named Chalne, who, as it turned out, would become my travelling companion for the next week.
The following day i managed to awake in the afternoon in time to climb up on top of the city walls for a overview of the busy streets, historic and modern architecture, and crowds of tall apartment buildings surrounding. Watching the sunset over the city moat with my friend Chalne, as citizens exercised in parks below, the sky glowed red and the lights of the towers began to shine, it was a peaceful moment and a refreshing start to the new year, it even felt like almost anything was possible......
My goodbye gift from Xi'an, while on the bus on my way back to the hotel after visiting the terracotta warriors, was the theft of my wallet, niftily picked from my pocket by a young girl who blocked my passage as i pushed to get off the public bus. So all the coinage i had saved by mastering the public bus system (reading those routes maps in Chinese so i can get on the right bus was always a fun challenge...) to get around instead of taking taxis was instantly lost....She was really deft, and though it seemed strange that i had to push so hard to get through, i noticed no feeling as she reached around to the far pocket of my trousers and yanked my wallet from my all too shallow pockets. As i turned back after getting off the bus, the same girl who blocked my way, was smiling at me slyly from inside the bus, and it was only moments later that i discovered. I think she had spotted me as a potential target near the combined train/bus station (these busy transit areas are places to stay very alert- lots of hawkers and prowlers hanging out for a chance to grab a left-behind bag or dropped valuable or phaps worse). So a warning for travelers to Xi'an- this is one of the main tourist towns of China, and as many locals also warned, it supports a population of thieves and shikesters, don't be afraid, just be on your toes when in tourist areas.
From Xi'an, the only way to my next destination, Chongqing was by overnight bus (as the train was full) to Chengdu, from where i could switch in the morning to get to Chongqing. It turned out to be quite an unpleasant trip, taking 11 hours instead of 9 as promised, and sitting in the front row of seats meant that we were constantly swallowing the 2nd hand smoke of the addicted fools who sat beside the driver in order to light up. I told off a couple of them as i'm sure there's a law against smoking in these buses, but as they kept returning to light up, and there was no reference to no smoking on the ticket or bus itself, and the driver himself was often lighting up, i had to give up, voicing my protests instead through choking coughs. Not much sleep that night.....
In Chengdu i joined the throngs at the train station to line up to buy tickets to Chongqing (the train less than half the price of the bus...only $10aud for a 4.5 hour journey). During the couple hour wait for our train, sitting in an empty restaurant top floor, Chalne and i ranged in a sleep-dazed conversation from topics existential to the mundane, until i eventually started describing to her the principles of impermanence as conveyed through Buddhism. Then after this conservation, on the train, by chance we were seated beside a Buddhist monk, the only monk on the long and packed train. So we began chatting to the gentle practitioner on various topics including life as a monk, Tibetan culture, different schools of Buddhism, temples to visit and types of meditation. It was interesting to see that he couldn't resist buying several of each of the toys put on sale in showman-like fashion to all passengers in the carriage by the railway staff. Presumably he has plenty of cash (monks are these days given a salary by the government), quite a far cry for example from the Jain Sadhus i met in India and wrote about in my other blog..... Anyway he couldn't resist gifting us a couple of toothbrushes he bought, and the salesman (plus the whole carriage!) had a good laugh at me when i gave the toothbrush a demo run there and then ('you shouldn't do it without toothpaste!' the salesmen cried). Following this journey, discussions of Buddhism, yoga and meditation techniques became one of the main themes of mine and Chalne's relationship. Amongst these discussions, we both agreed on the transient nature of things, and we instead tried to enjoy the moment, undisturbed by the looks of disapproval as we calmed ourselves through concentration on the breath as we rode the busy public bus.
Chongqing was more than i expected. Far from the dull, industrial metropolis i had heard about, to me, it's charm was palatable and its atmosphere captivating. The natural geography of hilly streets and high density housing, commercial districts amongst concrete and pylons that lifted the city's arteries one on top of the other, plus stone-lined alleyways, street markets and old-style architecture hidden amongst the tall buildings, on a narrow peninsula flanked by 2 large rivers, it really took on the appearance of a huge multi-level maze, but one where the pleasure, not the puzzle, was in getting lost.
The center of town and main commerical district, Jiefangbei, had wide vehicle-free promenades lined with neon-lit fashion, electronics, western take way outlets and traditional Chongqing hotpot restaurants. With the local pride for spice, Chongqing hotpot is known to be even spicer than it's cousin the Sichuan hotpot, even with Sichuan's formidable reputation for fire (the Chinese saying in relation to regional cuisines goes 'Sichuan is for spicy hot'), and Chalne and i (with some trepidation) decided this was the chance to take on the spice challenge, and we climbed to the rooftop restaurant overlooking the mall. With these hotpots, you cook the food yourself in a big pot of spiced broth which sits in the centre of the table, and my first tentative taste of the soup was a warning, as a tiny drip on my little finger burned my toungue immeadiately upon contact. The hundreds of tiny red chillis in the soup broth really got me sweating and i had to gag to stop choking from the heat, while tears poured out of my eyes, but i kept eating. Quite tasty in fact. I survived the evening, but it wasn't until after i went to sleep the following night that i was hit by an explosive case of amoebic dysentry that lasted a good couple of days (requiring drastic pharmaceutical dosing to survive the 10 hour bus back from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou the following day). Not sure if it was the hotpot or the alleyway 50c noodles i ate the following night (amongst a genial crowd of local workers- the real folk) that finally did it to me but i can say im sure the fire-spice dinner had its affect.
Otherwise in Chongqing, i spent my time (oft with companion) wandering the streets, riding cable cars and climbing hills for overviews of the rivers, skyscrapers and city lights. One afternoon i took the bus to Ciqikou ancient town, a charming place overlooking the Jinjiang river of roughstone alleyways, wooden shuttered windows and white-washed, brown-lined narrow multistorey homes, that seems hardly to have changed in 500 years. Nowadays also a tourist enclave for food and handmade souvenirs, while wandering alleys here and snapping plenty pics, i chatted to Pakistani chefs plying their trade to interested local tourists and visited a serene Buddhist pagoda situated over and above the tourist shopping mayhem. Meeting friendly people on the bus there- who made sure i didn't get lost (even frantically waving directions out the window of the bus after i'd got off!), and practising Chinese with then was half the fun of the trip.
Chongqing is also famous as one of the last strongholds of the Kuomintang in their battle with the communists. They made it their capital after the fall of the Qing dynasty and many bloody battles were fought in this area, with communist memorials in the hills outside the city from where the red army based themselves and eventually overcame the nationalists in the bitter struggle, tales of siege and torture aside (these civil-war battles are now depicted daily on state television in a way that outspoken local Chinese academics recently described as propaganda and brainwashing for their one-sided promotion of the Communists)
The people in Chongqing also seemed remarkably friendly (apart from one old attendant lady in a temple who seemed to get sadistic pleasure from yelling at a foreigner with camera...), people didn't seem to stare, look at me strangely or try to rip me off, they were polite and helpful.... Quite civilized it seemed. A possible reason being coz there are much less foreigners here than in Chengdu so perhaps ppl. more inclined to show their best face when one comes along......;)
Maybe also i was looked upon more kindly too for being accompanied by a charming young Chinese girl like Chalne...
HEY- I forgot to mention in my last post- happy birthday to my dearest mother- on 19th Jan turned 50+ years young!
More dedications to my dear parents later.... this Chinese filial piety thing is infectious! Confucius has had a bit to say about that in his classic 'The Analects'- which ive recently read- rest assured i'll offer some interpretations of his teachings in the next post.....
Bye for now
cheers
callum
Monday, December 22, 2008
Xmas at Jiuzhaigou, and on to the ancient rd of silk & honey!
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.....
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.....
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
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