2010 China Immersion
2010 China Immersion
2010 China Immersion
June 19-22, 2010
一路平安 yi lu pingan is a common phrase used in China to wish someone a safe journey without accidents or mishaps. 平安 pingan means “safe and sound” but 平 ping also means “flat” and a very literally translation would be “one road flat safe”. We left Kunming on Monday, starting our 10-day road trip and little did we know that we would be hoping for just one road that was flat!
From Kunming we ventured northwest to Haobao Organic Farm 好宝箐. The highway to Haobao was being repaired, so we took a detour through the mountains that tripled the time of our journey. However, we got to take in some beautiful sites – lush green mountains, perfectly sectioned rice paddies and villages nestled in valleys. Groups of cows, goats and even chickens regularly crossed our path and we even got up close to the animal that powers agriculture in East Asia – the water buffalo. We arrived at Haobao in the evening, just in time to have a delicious dinner of organic vegetables and fresh fish and check out the produce, poultry and friendly frogs in the greenhouse.
Tuesday morning we were back on the road to Shuanglang 双廊, a small fishing community across Erhai Lake from Dali. The majority of people in Shuanglang come from the Bai ethnic group 白族 and their families have been fishing the waters of Erhai Lake for centuries. While the highway was in good condition, the road to Shuanglang had been completed washed away from construction and rain. We slushed through mud and bumped over rocks, feeling sorry ourselves but feeling even more sympathy for the local people who may not have a real road for months. Naturally, when we arrived in Shuanglang we had to try the fish. It was delicious and we had a great meal before turning in to prepare for our last day of long-distance driving.
The last leg of our drive took us from Shuanglang to Shangrila 香格里拉, a small mountain town with a large Tibetan population. The first leg Shuanglang-Lijiang was a breeze but, of course, the mountain road from Lijiang-Shangrila was . . . being repaired. The road that was left was bumpy and dusty. However, the local people were very helpful and, when the road was completely blocked, one friendly driver even led us through a farming road that took us straight to town. Now we are relaxing in Shangrila and are very happy to have a few days before we have to get back in the car!
Let’s hear what students think about the differences between the city and the countryside . . .
Life in urban areas seems very different from rural life in China. Apart from the obvious difference in population density between the two types of places, occupation also plays a large role in the variations of lifestyle. Finally, varying levels of cultural diffusion and differences in personal ambitions contribute to the different lifestyles of city dwellers and country people.
Occupations of the urban and rural people of China influence their lifestyles. For example, urban citizens tend to have office jobs or work in the service industry while rural citizens are generally farmers. Urban people have more opportunity to make more money and enjoy luxuries, while farmers tend to have a more steady, but lower source of income. Some people in the countryside do net even have electricity in their homes. Job opportunities differ from Chinese cities to the countryside, and differences in income contribute to varying levels of luxury.
Cultural diffusion and personal ambitions influence lifestyle. In the cities, people are exposed to pop stars and people from many different places, whether from within China or abroad. They are exposed to the rich and the poor. Therefore, city people tend to work to go to college, go abroad, and find high paying jobs. However, rural citizens tend to be exposed to only the people of their hometown, who are generally of similar social and economic standing. Without exposure to hopes of a dreamy and glamorous lifestyle, rural people usually expect to follow in their parent’s footsteps and take up farming to support their families. Exposure to a lifestyle much more desirable than one’s own leads to higher dreams and hopes, changing one’s lifestyle to attain such goals.
Multiple factors contribute to the difference between Chinese urban and Chinese rural life, but the two main factors are salary and job, and exposure to lifestyles different from the ones currently led by the people. – Kevin
Traveling from the inner city into the outskirts of rural land can be quite a shock. Modern Chinese cities are technologically advanced, crowded, sprawling with skyscrapers and underground subways and malls. Traffic is ruthless with drivers edging others out of the way and running traffic lights. Pedestrians fearlessly jaywalk and electric scooters snake through crowds with authority.
Yet even a few miles outside of the cities dirt, dust roads undergo constant construction, and most are so bumpy that you need to secure yourself inside the car or risk bruises and scrapes. Villagers watch the procession of trucks and buses forlornly, probably a disturbance they would rather be rid of. Goat or buffalo herders block the road in some places. The air feels dry and hot, and dust seeps in the van (though we were missing the entire back window).
Though in very different settings, the people in urban sprawl and rural villages deem to have the same style of living. They play mahjong and cards. They work in their stores or at roadside fruit stands for customers. They’re very interested in tourists, though many probably wish the intruders were gone. – concluding sentence here – Ian
So far we’ve been to lots of different places some big cities, small cities and countryside. The big cities and countryside are very different. My impressions were very different, but some things were similar.
In Beijing, the city is so big. There’s a lot for tourists to do but I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. Besides the fact that it was 100 degrees Fahrenheit all the time, there are so many people and so much pollution. It was very dirty. In Kunming, it’s a smaller city, much cooler, not as dirty. It is just a nicer place to be in. I don’t really know how the people differ in the two cities because I don’t understand anything.
Shuanglang, a small fishing village is very different. I liked it a lot. People seem more family oriented and closer because it’s a much smaller village and they focus a lot on the fishing there, whereas the other cities don’t seem to focus on anything in particular. A lot of times I felt like the people working in stores, etc. didn’t care at all and put no effort into anything. For example, when Angela called a spa because we wanted to get pedicures, she called a place and asked how much they cost and he said, “Just come down to the store” because he wouldn’t just tell her the price. I think that the bigger cities sometimes can be more fun cause there is more to do but they get overwhelming and it’s nice to be in a smaller city or village. – Tori
Picture: Fishing Family
In the countryside the roads are horrible. For 3 days we have gone on crappy road and each day it has gotten worse. Every day we are supposed to only drive for less then 4 hours but each day has been increased to 8 to 10 hours because of the road. That is the biggest difference I see between the city and the countryside. But also the lifestyle is very different. In the city everyone lives in big apartment complexes whereas in the countryside they still live in traditional houses, which is like a walled courtyard and then a small house. In the countryside the peoples lives are on a much smaller scale. They walk or bike to the market with goods to sell or empty baskets to fill with bought goods. In the city people would take a taxi or a bus to get where they needed to be. Not everything is within walking distance. City life is also very different in that all the old architecture is being demolished and new bigger better buildings are being built. In the country, the old architecture is what people live in. If it needs repairs the people attempt to fix it themselves. If they can’t then they will just have to live with it. — Will
2010 China Immersion
July 16-17, 2010
These are our final days in Kunming and we have spent them enjoying some local entertainment. On Friday we took a trip to Daguan Park 大观公园 , a large public park with gardens, pagodas and an amusement park. We saw the ferris wheel and rollercoaster from the highway on our way back from Dali and, ever since, Daguan Park was on the top of the to-visit list.
For anyone who has been to Six Flags, Disneyworld or Cedar Rapids, Daguan Park would seem miniscule in comparison, but it is a very typical Chinese amusement park. The rides are smaller and shorter; the largest four-loop rollercoaster 四环过山车 was about a minute ride, and the amusement area occupies only a small section of the total park. The most classic ride – the bumper cars – gave us the most laughs, while the slingshot gave students the biggest thrill. The slingshot catapulted them about eight stories in the air and then they bounced back down again. It is a good thing Tori remembered to kick off her sandals before launching or else they may have been forever lost in the lake! With our adrenaline levels back to normal, we took a walk through the park. Beyond the amusement area, the park is full of gardens, pagodas and stone pathways lined with willow trees. There were families, couples, children and elderly folks all out enjoying the park. Older men flew kites while mothers and children painted pottery together.
We took it all in, including lots and lots of snacks. From fresh coconuts to fried potatoes to grilled beef kebabs, every few meters there was a new snack to purchase or sample. There was even a promotion for tea flavored Sprite and we all got a taste. Our opinion . . . probably not the next big hit.
There were also lots of toys, souvenirs and trinkets for sale. Will picked up some bubbles and Tori got a beautiful handmade bracelet with the traditional character of her Chinese name Le Le 乐乐. Le 乐 means “happy, cheerful, joyous” and is a play on her last name Merryman. As frequently happens to foreigners in China, once again we also became an attraction. In China, it is not considered rude to stare at people as they walk by or even to stand next to someone and stare at them. As we walked through the park we certainly got our share of long stares. Several people also asked to take our picture. We still don’t know what people do with all of these pictures of random foreigners!
Yesterday Jackie, the director of the language school, invited us to a banquet. We had many different chaocai 炒菜 or stir-fried dishes and some special items like basi tudou 拔丝土豆, potato coated with caramelized sugar. Students said a final goodbye to their language teachers and made two new friends, Eva and Zaaz. They are high school students here in Kunming. They suggested going to karaoke after dinner and Angela persuaded the (hesitant) students to try it out. Kala-OK, 卡拉OK or karoake is a wildly popular form of entertainment across East Asia. However, instead of a large bar where everyone sings in front of a crowd, in China, you get a private room, just for your group.
Everyone was nervous at first but, with a little Akon to start us off, we got really into it. Ian excelled at actually singing on key with great songs like “Yellow” and “Billie Jean”. Kevin was the only one brave enough to sing Chinese songs and belted out “我不配” and “老鼠爱大米”. The best group song was Christina Aguilera’s “Reflections” while the worst was definitely Ian and Will’s “She Bangs”, ranking slightly about William Hung’s version. We had a lot of laughs and will definitely be back . . . maybe for Kevin’s birthday . . . For now, we are getting ready to hit the road for the last leg of our China adventure. More stories to come!
2010 China Immersion
July 10-14, 2010
We just returned from Dali 大理 and the sound of voices chanting 阿彌陀佛, 阿彌陀佛，阿彌陀佛 . . . Amituofo, Amituofo, Amituofo . . . will be echoing in our ears for days. Recitation is one of the central practices of Buddhism and the followers at Wu Wei Temple 无为寺 could be heard throughout the day giving praise to Buddha.
Dali is a small city in western Yunnan that is set between the Cangshan Mountains and Erhai Lake. Normally a 4-hour drive from Kunming, our trip took about 6.5 hours because of construction on the main highway. Though we got to see some of the countryside, beautiful terraced rice paddies and herds of cows stalling traffic, we were happy to arrive in Dali Old Town 古城 where we walked the streets, peering at trinkets and restaurants.
Will had been looking forward to mixian 米线, Chinese rice noodles, since we arrived in Yunnan, so we made a quick stop in a small restaurant.
The noodles were delicious but we quickly learned that, in Yunnan, weila 微辣 or a little spicy, means really, really spicy. Ian literally broke a sweat finishing his bowl or as he more poetically phrased it, “My forehead is crying.” Then it was time to travel up the mountain to the temple.
Though only a 15-minute drive from Dali Old Town, Wu Wei Temple is centuries away from the hustle and bustle of a modern city. The temple was built during the Tang Dynasty and still preserves some of the original architecture. There is no electricity in the temple and residents use candles and flashlights after nightfall. The bathrooms are rudimentary. There are two small showers for the entire temple and water comes right off of the mountain. Rooms are basic, with beds and a small stool in each. It is clear that, within the temple, the focus is not on the outer world of possessions and creature comforts but on the inner world of spiritual development and enlightenment.
We arrived just after evening training and joined the followers for our first meal. All meals in the temple are vegetarian – including no eggs or dairy – and everyone eats together. We were issued a bowl and a pair of chopsticks that we had to wash and bring to every meal. There are many rules that govern mealtime, such as, no one can eat until the Master (shifu 师傅) blesses the meal and begins eating, you should never be late for meals, you must finish everything you take down to the last grain of rice and when you finish your meal, you must go around to every table and say Amituofo to those who are still eating. We did our best to show our respect and observe all of the rules, (Angela and Tori were late once after stopping to wash up after training and received a disapproving look!) and the monks and followers of the temple were patient with us. There were also a few other foreigners studying at the temple who helped us learn some of the unwritten rules. There was also a strict rule against taking pictures of the students and monks, so sadly we don’t have any pictures of the kids.
The leader of the temple is called Shifu 师傅 or Master. He is the spiritual leader of the temple and also a kung fu or gongfu 功夫 master. He has taken many orphans into the temple and most of the residents of the temple are 10 to 16 year old boys. Some are training to become monks themselves and some are just students who come to the temple for several months out of the year to study gongfu and Buddhism. There are also a handful of older women who cook, clean and pray. On our first night the kids were very shy but, later, they started to open up.
Of course they had to size us up, and our training began bright and early the next day. Our basic schedule was:
5:30 AM – Awaken to the sound of beating drums and harmonious chanting of Morning Prayer
7:00 AM – Run down to the stream and carry a rock on our heads back up to the temple. We carried rather small rocks, but the kids carried huge boulders!
8:00 AM – Breakfast. A simple breakfast of noodles and broth or vegetable dumplings made up our breakfast.
9:00 AM – Morning gongfu training. In the morning we did stretches and basic stances or jibengong 基本功. The kids and the monks were incredibly strong and flexible. One monk could even do two-finger push-ups and even the younger kids could stretch their legs all the way behind their heads!
12 PM – Lunch. This was often the biggest meal of the day because day visitors to the temple would join us. We had stir-fried broccoli, lotus root, tofu, pickled bean sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, bitter melon, corn, potatoes and always soup and white rice.
1-3 PM – Nap. Most of the monks and students slept during these hours. We took some time to rest, read and continue the never-ending UNO tournament. One day the kids taught us how to play Chinese chess. They let Will and Angela win the first match and then destroyed every other challenger!
3 PM – English class. We gave the students two English lessons. The first day we focused on basic introductions and mealtime vocabulary. The second day we focused on commands they need to teach gongfu, such as “stand up”, “get ready” and “lay down”. Tori did a great job working with a student who had never studied English before and had never even been to school. Though the other kids poked fun at him for being a slow learner, with some quality one-on-one time, he really started to come out of his shell and put a lot of effort into his lesson.
4 PM – Evening gongfu training. In the evening we focused on stretching and learning a routine called xiaolianhuan 小联环. Ian and Will were our leaders throughout training, always being the first to attempt a 360 round house kick or front flip, and were especially adept at learning the routine. Our teacher was very impressed with them and made sure that they learned the complete routine before we departed.
6 PM – Dinner. This was usually a smaller meal with many similar dishes as lunch.
7-8:30 PM – Free time. Monks and students used this time to study or play. Kevin and Tori taught several of the kids how to play UNO and on our last night we taught a bunch of kids how to play SPOONS. We later learned that they are not supposed to play cards in the temple and felt a little bad (but we did have a lot of fun). In general it was interesting to see how the kids – both the regular students and those training to be monks – were serious and disciplined at some times and crazy little kids at other times.
9:00 PM – Evening Prayer. This marked the end of the day with all monks, students and women in the temple gathering for evening prayer. Kevin did an incredible job throughout our stay using his Chinese skills to connect with the kids. He even got the unique experience of being able to join in evening prayers and chant with the group.
9:30 – Lights Out!
For many of us this will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we will not soon forget it. It was wonderful to see how the unique talents and abilities of every member of the group came out during out stay. For now we are back in Kunming, the boys are glad to once again have milkshakes and meat and we are all happy to be back in a soft bed! For the chance to have such an amazing experience, you can only say . . .
Amituofu 阿彌陀佛
The China Group
2010 China Immersion
June 7, 2010 Today the boys had their first test in Chinese class. They studied last night and even woke up early to cram. The test turned out to be a cinch (though their scores didn’t earn them a night off of homework). After lunch students had a private Tai Chi lesson with instructor David Mandevil. Tai chi is an ancient Chinese martial art that focuses on inner strength and relaxation, as opposed to the emphasis on outer strength and aggression of kung fu. Students began learning basic stances and how to completely relax their muscles. After tai chi, we went over to the Haina Training Center for our first language exchange. Students got a chance to spend an hour with Chinese high school and university students. The Chinese students were happy for the opportunity to ask questions and practice their English. Students got a glimpse of the lives of young people in modern China. Students have observed and learned a lot about Chinese people over the past week. Let’s hear what they have to say . . .
What is the most shocking, interesting or exciting thing you have learned about Chinese people so far?
This one time when we were driving home, this little boy flashed us after running in front of the car. Also, when we were going to the market, a little girl was squatting in the road. It is also interesting that toilets are in the ground because that seems pointless. Chinese people have no freedom of time because they study too much. It doesn’t make sense because I never do homework. – Will
The most shocking thing about Chinese kids is that they smoke. It is interesting that smoking is such an important part of culture here. The fact that kids here, and adults too, always stare at foreigners. That just doesn’t make sense because according to our sophisticated car game, entitled “Count the Foreigners” there are actually a lot. But yeah, I guess the fact that even we are playing a game like that sort of explains why the local do it too. And also that the kids pee on the street. – Kevin
Kids and their parents seem to not care about privacy here. If you need to go, you can just pop a squat anywhere and no one cares. IN fact, most kids pants have slits in them already to make going to the bathroom easier. Also, people in queues are very aggressive. Unless you hold your ground, people brush past you. One of the kids in my exchange group was seemingly obsessed with “Twilight”. I think that she though the town was real. Everyone else was very quiet. – Ian
The most interesting thing I’ve noticed in China is their driving. They are really bad drivers and are oblivious to other drivers and pedestrians. Now that I’m learning how to drive I find it amazing how bad they drive and how aggressive drivers are. In the US there are so many laws for pedestrians and in China they act like they have no fear against cars. Neither do the drivers but everyone says that, if they didn’t drive like that, they wouldn’t get anywhere. – Tori
In addition to learning about Chinese people, we have continued to learn about one another. It has been incredible to see how much our group has grown over the past week. Sharing inside jokes (we will never look at cake the same again), giving each other nicknames (you can guess who will forever be known as Bieber) or snapping pesky mosquitoes, we have fun together and look out for one another. We are heading up to the Wu Wei Si Temple for a few days, so look for the next post next week. Exciting stories to come!
The China Group
