Interesting clips from an article in the Times:
"CHINA BICYCLE, one of the biggest manufacturers and the largest exporter in the country, went into bankruptcy this week, a victim of the growing Chinese love affair with the car. "
"It will hardly surprise the Chinese cyclist, who has become an increasingly endangered species in cities where once the two-wheeled commuter was king of the road. In Beijing alone, a thousand new cars take to the streets each day. Figures for cyclists are more difficult to come by, reflecting the lack of interest by authorities in what was once the main mode of transport. "
"The rise of the car has generated another hazard for the beleaguered pedaller: rampant pollution. For the past two weeks Beijing has sweated under a pall of smog. The air has turned brown. Visibility has been barely 200 yards. Skyscrapers have been enveloped by a thick choking mist. The skyline has simply disappeared. " I can support this!!
"For days officials have been praying for wind. Their prayers were answered when heavy rains and thunderstorms blew across Beijing for 24 hours, sweeping away the filthy air that had hung over the city for nearly a fortnight. Fewer cars and more bicycles would help. But Shanghai has banned bicycles from main thoroughfares in an effort to modernise the city and improve traffic flow. Consultants preparing Beijing for the 2008 Olympics are discussing banning cyclists from main streets unless they can be trained to obey traffic regulations. "
"Old habits may die hard with cyclists. Most are accustomed to ruling the road but are well aware that recent laws brought in very severe penalties and fines for any driver of a motor vehicle who so much as touches a commuter travelling under his own steam. However, the internal combustion engine seems destined to win, as cars multiply at an unprecedented rate. "
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Sunday, August 14, 2005
My job
So it occurred to me some of you may not actually know what I am doing, so let me explain.
Since I got here last September I realised was hard to raise sponsorship. Companies didn't really see how we could help their recruitment, not believe we could (lack of credibility, track record and products). Similarly not that many were interested in taking on trainees (not any cheaper than Chinese grads, will leave at one point, won't know Chinese market and might not speak Chinese).
Thus the idea of getting the companies engaged with AIESEC (i.e. impressed) was born, through CSR (hot topic, personal interest, AIESEC globally highly involved). Its the idea that companies should be more socially responsible. Its inherently part of the broader 'sustainable development' but with a specific focus on how companies can play a role in this; and the current thinking is that a) companies should aim to make money, otherwise they will not have a future and b) by beeing good to the environment, to their stakeholders and economically prudent this will ensure they have a future. Its commonly referred to caring about the 3Ps: 'people, profit, planet'.
So I got some people involved in explaining this concept to the AIESEC students, then organise a big 1 dya conference with a bunch of charities, companies and academics running workshops and case studies about what they do. Idea being, when our students get into positions of eladership, they have the tools, ideas, knowledge and (most of all) desire to do things in a responsible way.
Everything went well..I organised some online courses, another (smaller) conference and some more seminars with guest speakers. Come June, the students started taking exams, so I had afternoons free (for my internship at British Chamber of Commerce), and then decided that a) I really liked was I was doing and it was making a difference, b) I was establishing a name for myself (which helped future career prospects and contacts) and c) that if I left most likely nothing would happen again due to lack of suitable people in AIESEC here.
Having made the leap of faith that I would be able to raise sponsorship to pay for myself, I committed to doing another year, but making things bigger and better:
-More activites, with more structure and an accreditation scheme for the students
-More involvement with, and training for, the AIESEC members here, so someone is able to replace me
-More involvement with Universities and more activities for non-AIESECers (plus inviting companies to attend our companies) so that more people can benefit from the high quality of organisations involved
-Better newletters, online learning activities and networking opportunities for the people we are in touch with to meet each other to develop their own networks.
-More partnerships with relevant organisations to grow our network, build credibility and create exhchange and other opportunities (want to create more opportunities!)
so thats about it. First small activities will be during recruitment in September, then the bigger activities will start; I'll be travelling to help the AIESEC branches in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Tianjin (with their CSR activities) and currently focusing on the learning aspects (relaunching webpages etc) , partnerships and growing our network.
Hope its a little interesting for you, and of course, feel free to ask me about it (or see if you can help me!).
Since I got here last September I realised was hard to raise sponsorship. Companies didn't really see how we could help their recruitment, not believe we could (lack of credibility, track record and products). Similarly not that many were interested in taking on trainees (not any cheaper than Chinese grads, will leave at one point, won't know Chinese market and might not speak Chinese).
Thus the idea of getting the companies engaged with AIESEC (i.e. impressed) was born, through CSR (hot topic, personal interest, AIESEC globally highly involved). Its the idea that companies should be more socially responsible. Its inherently part of the broader 'sustainable development' but with a specific focus on how companies can play a role in this; and the current thinking is that a) companies should aim to make money, otherwise they will not have a future and b) by beeing good to the environment, to their stakeholders and economically prudent this will ensure they have a future. Its commonly referred to caring about the 3Ps: 'people, profit, planet'.
So I got some people involved in explaining this concept to the AIESEC students, then organise a big 1 dya conference with a bunch of charities, companies and academics running workshops and case studies about what they do. Idea being, when our students get into positions of eladership, they have the tools, ideas, knowledge and (most of all) desire to do things in a responsible way.
Everything went well..I organised some online courses, another (smaller) conference and some more seminars with guest speakers. Come June, the students started taking exams, so I had afternoons free (for my internship at British Chamber of Commerce), and then decided that a) I really liked was I was doing and it was making a difference, b) I was establishing a name for myself (which helped future career prospects and contacts) and c) that if I left most likely nothing would happen again due to lack of suitable people in AIESEC here.
Having made the leap of faith that I would be able to raise sponsorship to pay for myself, I committed to doing another year, but making things bigger and better:
-More activites, with more structure and an accreditation scheme for the students
-More involvement with, and training for, the AIESEC members here, so someone is able to replace me
-More involvement with Universities and more activities for non-AIESECers (plus inviting companies to attend our companies) so that more people can benefit from the high quality of organisations involved
-Better newletters, online learning activities and networking opportunities for the people we are in touch with to meet each other to develop their own networks.
-More partnerships with relevant organisations to grow our network, build credibility and create exhchange and other opportunities (want to create more opportunities!)
so thats about it. First small activities will be during recruitment in September, then the bigger activities will start; I'll be travelling to help the AIESEC branches in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Tianjin (with their CSR activities) and currently focusing on the learning aspects (relaunching webpages etc) , partnerships and growing our network.
Hope its a little interesting for you, and of course, feel free to ask me about it (or see if you can help me!).
The team, July Natco
back row, l-r: Pierre (People Development), Leon (President)and Peter (External Relations)
front rom (l-r): Tina (Alumni), Alice (Finance), ME, Kim (Ogx) and Primrose (Icx)
at formal dinner, July 2005 National Conference. Somehow its always me surrounded by the girls :) !
front rom (l-r): Tina (Alumni), Alice (Finance), ME, Kim (Ogx) and Primrose (Icx)
at formal dinner, July 2005 National Conference. Somehow its always me surrounded by the girls :) !
Saturday, August 13, 2005
travelling (at home)
went travelling today...well, in Beijing anyway. An AIESECer from Switzerland was passing through and i had a spare day so we queued for an hour to see Chairman Mao lying peacefully in a coffin (top off) guardde heavily and behing a bullet-proof screen. He looked a bit like a wax figure -maybe thats what happens when they douse you in chemicals to preserve you (or maybe he is a fake?).
it was only really worth it because we spent an hour queueing (building it up); although not many people have seen one of history's biggest ever murderers (Stalin is buried I think)! We then saw the 'parliament' bulding. Its called the NPC (National People's Congress) and meets for a month a year or so to ratify the decisions taken by the other political bodies (mostly CCP -communist party) and thus its not very pwerful and rarely used it seems (not much to see).
Then we headed off to the Beijing planning exhibition museum which was awesome with a movie of beijing's history, plus a 3D movie of its future (olympics related), a massive model (with funky lights) of Beijing and lots of stuff for Beijing resident geeks like me. Nice museum building (6 months old) with an english audio tour -highly recommended. As the day came to an end we hit the 'underground city' -the air raid sheltor built in teh 60s in case Beijing was attackeg, creating cinemas, exercise areas etc, and of course tunnels to walk between all the main areas in beijing undergorund. i had to translate for Carolyn (hmmm)!
last night went back to my old haunting ground (near old office/appartment) and ate at our favourite xinjiang restaurant (by Achim's place) .... aah memories. Right, off to watch (yet another!) DVD.
it was only really worth it because we spent an hour queueing (building it up); although not many people have seen one of history's biggest ever murderers (Stalin is buried I think)! We then saw the 'parliament' bulding. Its called the NPC (National People's Congress) and meets for a month a year or so to ratify the decisions taken by the other political bodies (mostly CCP -communist party) and thus its not very pwerful and rarely used it seems (not much to see).
Then we headed off to the Beijing planning exhibition museum which was awesome with a movie of beijing's history, plus a 3D movie of its future (olympics related), a massive model (with funky lights) of Beijing and lots of stuff for Beijing resident geeks like me. Nice museum building (6 months old) with an english audio tour -highly recommended. As the day came to an end we hit the 'underground city' -the air raid sheltor built in teh 60s in case Beijing was attackeg, creating cinemas, exercise areas etc, and of course tunnels to walk between all the main areas in beijing undergorund. i had to translate for Carolyn (hmmm)!
last night went back to my old haunting ground (near old office/appartment) and ate at our favourite xinjiang restaurant (by Achim's place) .... aah memories. Right, off to watch (yet another!) DVD.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
a new year...
so back from yunnan last thursday to settle into my next 12 months. I've decided routine is the way to go. monday i woke at 8, ran for 15m, showered for 15 then did Chinese for 30. Today i woke at 7.45, ran for 15m, showered for 15 then did chinese for 30 and had time to get dressed in order to start work at 9am!. Actually tomorrow i might get up even earlier and try to do 45 minutes of chinese.
once the routine becomes routine, my fitness should go up and my chinese too :) at the moment i am just using the text book, but finding it great. i'll probably still start to get a tutor a couple times a week i think; have to explore options!
so a new year begins, and i feel very middle-class chinese. running around our appartment complex (about 18 35-floor appartment buildings) which has a grass and seats type area in the middle, along with a small ringroad (and lots of entrances to the underground car park), you see so many cars leaving, and so many parked (some spaces above ground) -they're VWs, some Audis etc. These are the people who the entire World wants to sell to!
Its a nice area, a few miles south of the main business district, the rooms have A/C, western toilets (although can't handle toilet paper!) and other amenities. We've set up a wireless network in our appartment/office -there's the 4 guys on 2 bunk beds in 1 room, and Primrose in the other (small) room. There's a small lounge/eating area and also a large living area (office with 6 desks in!). We have a TV (but not managed to hook it up to receive anything) so we watch DVDs sometimes and we aren't far from Beijing life.
So middle-class Chinese, well their supermarkets are more upmarket (better designed, less chaotic, better range), their restaurants not the 'little stools and tables shoved in a wardrobe selling noodles' anymore but '2nd floor restaurants that require taking elevators, and the local shop is either a 24 hour 7/11 (empty, smart, expensive) or the little shop in the basement (very handy, but depressing to work there 24hr!). They drive everywhere (the traffic around here sucks at rush hour, although a new subway line will be open in about a year), have guards at each appt building to open the door if you have shopping, and have maids (like us) come and cook (hee hee).
Tonight John (from canada, been here 2 months) returns home, so i get to unpack into his area, and finally make this my home for the next 12 months. Tomorrow a friend from the UK (Michelle, MC VP OGX) arrives, probably, for a 12 month job and its also my sister's birthday (by the way, she is busy on a PR trainee programme in London). Now, its time to start work!
once the routine becomes routine, my fitness should go up and my chinese too :) at the moment i am just using the text book, but finding it great. i'll probably still start to get a tutor a couple times a week i think; have to explore options!
so a new year begins, and i feel very middle-class chinese. running around our appartment complex (about 18 35-floor appartment buildings) which has a grass and seats type area in the middle, along with a small ringroad (and lots of entrances to the underground car park), you see so many cars leaving, and so many parked (some spaces above ground) -they're VWs, some Audis etc. These are the people who the entire World wants to sell to!
Its a nice area, a few miles south of the main business district, the rooms have A/C, western toilets (although can't handle toilet paper!) and other amenities. We've set up a wireless network in our appartment/office -there's the 4 guys on 2 bunk beds in 1 room, and Primrose in the other (small) room. There's a small lounge/eating area and also a large living area (office with 6 desks in!). We have a TV (but not managed to hook it up to receive anything) so we watch DVDs sometimes and we aren't far from Beijing life.
So middle-class Chinese, well their supermarkets are more upmarket (better designed, less chaotic, better range), their restaurants not the 'little stools and tables shoved in a wardrobe selling noodles' anymore but '2nd floor restaurants that require taking elevators, and the local shop is either a 24 hour 7/11 (empty, smart, expensive) or the little shop in the basement (very handy, but depressing to work there 24hr!). They drive everywhere (the traffic around here sucks at rush hour, although a new subway line will be open in about a year), have guards at each appt building to open the door if you have shopping, and have maids (like us) come and cook (hee hee).
Tonight John (from canada, been here 2 months) returns home, so i get to unpack into his area, and finally make this my home for the next 12 months. Tomorrow a friend from the UK (Michelle, MC VP OGX) arrives, probably, for a 12 month job and its also my sister's birthday (by the way, she is busy on a PR trainee programme in London). Now, its time to start work!
Thursday, August 04, 2005
thoughts on photos
I've been sorting through my photos and naming them (they are now on the website); so now its time to reflect a little on what they show; and to insert a few of the best into this blog.
there's the picture of Queenie who had dinner at some caves near Kunming I went to -in fact every half-decent tourist site in China seems to have a need to prove they are fully-decent by showcasing and naming all the celebrities who have visited (normally Chinese ministers/party members)
there's the one taken in the Yunnan minorities museum. one minority used objects as a way of expressing themselves -so they gave different things to people (each thing had a different meaning). This weaved leaf means 'i had already fallen in love with you before i met you'.
there are some of bright lights in quiet parks with just the sound of old people playing music; there are some of lines and lines of minibuses at the tourist stop (monastery) that you have to to stop at on the way to the main attraction, there is beautiful shilin (stone forest) which has been nicely left alone in places and also well designed in others, there's the views of modern cities like kunming and of the Mekong River (that provides water to most of south-east Asia) or the Yangtze River (that provides water to 350m Chinese).
there's the one with the contents of the woman's shopping next to the bus (it was on the roof and inside) we took to xishuangbanna. she explained she was buying it to trade; the local entrepreneur! (didnt leave much room on the bus for us though) and the one of the village hiding in the jungle! There was the classics of seeing chris take his shoes and socks off to wade throught the river and the fascinating ones of the little kids in the poor villager's house and of their basic house.
there are plenty of colourfully clothed minoroty people who we met on the trails and on buses, of the temples that were practically empty, of the endless rice paddies/terraces and of the ingenuitive bags that were used to carry things (using their heads and shoulders). There is the great one of the woman with a massive hole in her ear (i remember hearing about these kinds of people when i was 12! -its a culture thing) and the many of the families working in the quarries. There are lots of markets (including the killing of live chickens) and many of dali and lijiang's wonderfully designed 'old' towns.
there are great photos of villagers washing their clothes in rivers and in lakes (often with washing powder) and the stunning pictures of Tiger Leaping Gorge that took my breath away (in more ways than one) as well as onese showing the built, and the building, of houses in Zhondian (AKA Shanghri-la) old town. There are the snow capped peaks that border Tibet, the mountain huts and the magnificent Glacier. There are the pictures of the floors we slept on in xishuangbanna and in the monastery by the glacier and then back to Kunming with the muslim quarter being destroyed to be replaced by?
there are also those of the great fruits that require peeling (therefore safe to eat ont eh streets) but are easy to peel with the right technique, and that look so strange. There's the one of the street market, where, with a little peering inside the tiny shops; you realise that there is not just a sink to wash the vegetables in, there is a bed to sleep in; and some toothpaste next to the sink!
then there are the panoramas; of cities, of countryside, or temples and of schools. All bring back memories and more thoughts. have a browse if you want on the website (link below, remember free regsitration) or i'll post a few of the best up here in a minute.
and what of what was not caught on film? well some was caught on video (digital cameras, ey!); but the rest is in the memory; most likely to be pushed back once new experiences come along, but never to leave. And of the people that were met (Chris and Victoria were awesome travelling buddies for a few days, Dan and Chris' parents were also great) on the street and on the buses - well they are what makes a country a country, and a place a place.
there's the picture of Queenie who had dinner at some caves near Kunming I went to -in fact every half-decent tourist site in China seems to have a need to prove they are fully-decent by showcasing and naming all the celebrities who have visited (normally Chinese ministers/party members)
there's the one taken in the Yunnan minorities museum. one minority used objects as a way of expressing themselves -so they gave different things to people (each thing had a different meaning). This weaved leaf means 'i had already fallen in love with you before i met you'.
there are some of bright lights in quiet parks with just the sound of old people playing music; there are some of lines and lines of minibuses at the tourist stop (monastery) that you have to to stop at on the way to the main attraction, there is beautiful shilin (stone forest) which has been nicely left alone in places and also well designed in others, there's the views of modern cities like kunming and of the Mekong River (that provides water to most of south-east Asia) or the Yangtze River (that provides water to 350m Chinese).
there's the one with the contents of the woman's shopping next to the bus (it was on the roof and inside) we took to xishuangbanna. she explained she was buying it to trade; the local entrepreneur! (didnt leave much room on the bus for us though) and the one of the village hiding in the jungle! There was the classics of seeing chris take his shoes and socks off to wade throught the river and the fascinating ones of the little kids in the poor villager's house and of their basic house.
there are plenty of colourfully clothed minoroty people who we met on the trails and on buses, of the temples that were practically empty, of the endless rice paddies/terraces and of the ingenuitive bags that were used to carry things (using their heads and shoulders). There is the great one of the woman with a massive hole in her ear (i remember hearing about these kinds of people when i was 12! -its a culture thing) and the many of the families working in the quarries. There are lots of markets (including the killing of live chickens) and many of dali and lijiang's wonderfully designed 'old' towns.
there are great photos of villagers washing their clothes in rivers and in lakes (often with washing powder) and the stunning pictures of Tiger Leaping Gorge that took my breath away (in more ways than one) as well as onese showing the built, and the building, of houses in Zhondian (AKA Shanghri-la) old town. There are the snow capped peaks that border Tibet, the mountain huts and the magnificent Glacier. There are the pictures of the floors we slept on in xishuangbanna and in the monastery by the glacier and then back to Kunming with the muslim quarter being destroyed to be replaced by?
there are also those of the great fruits that require peeling (therefore safe to eat ont eh streets) but are easy to peel with the right technique, and that look so strange. There's the one of the street market, where, with a little peering inside the tiny shops; you realise that there is not just a sink to wash the vegetables in, there is a bed to sleep in; and some toothpaste next to the sink!
then there are the panoramas; of cities, of countryside, or temples and of schools. All bring back memories and more thoughts. have a browse if you want on the website (link below, remember free regsitration) or i'll post a few of the best up here in a minute.
and what of what was not caught on film? well some was caught on video (digital cameras, ey!); but the rest is in the memory; most likely to be pushed back once new experiences come along, but never to leave. And of the people that were met (Chris and Victoria were awesome travelling buddies for a few days, Dan and Chris' parents were also great) on the street and on the buses - well they are what makes a country a country, and a place a place.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
thoughts on holiday (1)
so in an attempt to make for some slightly more interesting reading, let me try to answer 2 questions. What have I learnt and what do I think about what has happened in the last 2 weeks?
Well, i have realised that although my chinese is not great, its enough to be able to make friends with those that dont speak Chinese; even if i only understand a little of the more advanced conversation. It means i definitely think i can take more value from travelling in a country where i speak (some of) the language rather than other countries in south asia, africa or south america (not that i have the time or the money to go to any of those places soon!). Its much more interesting being able to read signs and things, talk to some people, and organise transport and accommodation!
I've been thinking a bit about backpacking. Its been obvious for several months that you learn a lot more about a country by staying there a long time, and the same can be said about learning about a city, or village too. So i think its great many 'gappers' spend a few months in one place, and would reccommend it. Afterwards you are then able to take more from the places you only briefly touch. But i have realised the most fun moments from travelling are with other people, and irrelevant on the place (apart from being the place to find those people), that the most attractive things are almost always the natural objects, not the man-made, and that the most interesting man-made things to see, are the oldest (that are still surviving). The best way of seeing a culture is to see it in its natural form; and that you have to accept that many of the worst things that toursits see, are because the locals' way of life is improving (defined as the fact that the locals choose a new way of life since it must make their lives better). Thus for me to moan about Lijiang, its just to say that the lijiangers are presumably doing better now than they were before; so i should just accept this.
When hiking around xishuangbanna; its amazing to see how people can live, and to see how technology/globalisation can and cannot affect them. People are perfectly happy with a limited diet and only 1 lightbulb (very poor light - bad for eyes), but have their TV. These are people who have yet to go out and buy clothes with english written on them (which they dont understand). But, many of the villages had motorbikes and of course, the odd tractor, since otherwise they would not be able to communicate or trade. Both being a cruical part of economic development. Its strange though, since most of the villagers (and many in the towns) still carry things in baskets on their backs (ow 2 baskets on the end of a stick, that they balance on their shoulders)... many, many of the old people's backs are destroyed from working manually, and yet this is how they continue to work. Whether they have other options or not, i am not sure, but it certainly seems as though some seem to shun technology (even a basket on wheels would be a better way of transporting fruit in the cities!).
I read that 1 of the (many) reasons behind the US rejecting the kyoto (climate change) protocol was because of developing countries not being a part of it (even though, those countries are trying to reduce their impacts anyway); in particular the quote was that every week, China is building a new power station using 1960s technology. So its really irrelevant how much progress some countries make, or even 1 country makes in 1 area, if in other areas, it is going backwards. Indeed China is planning on implementing strict new standards for new vehicles emissions. This is great for new vehicles, but in the countryside, the lorries and the tractors are not going to be replaced any time soon -there is not the money to. Interestingly, peugot's CEO (i think) recently floated the idea that the EU should provide a 1000 euros to people with old cars just to get rid of them! In China, this would be a great idea. Every single vehicle that is not a passengar car in China; outside of a few cities (and even in most cities) belts out black smoke. China is supposed to be very inefficient with its energy use, and with the government still subsidising oil, i can't see that changing soon.
Yunnan houses some 50% of china's minorities, and we probably saw about a quarter of those in 2 weeks; a great deal of them are more religious based (influenced by buddhism and so forth from south asia). However i dont think many of them actually practice religion. I asked the specialist in the museum who said that religion is not about praying or beliefs, more about a way of life. In southern china there are no religious frictions like you have elsewhere around the world, since noone strictly believes in religion. In fact the reason (she said) most monasteries survive in small towns is because they function as schools (and function well). I think for many of the old monks, they carry on with their way of life, because it is their way of life. I think for many of the young monks, they do it because of peer/family pressure and because it is like school. I asked a chinese friend about how come so many people are always seen praying in monasteries in beijing, even with so few being religious, and she thinks that people just do it for 'luck' -pray for the good health of someone or other, rather than knowing who they are praying too or anything like that. In Baishuitai, one of the locals (area mostly tibetan) said that they would be celebrating the torch festial, when i asked him. This is strange since its a festival celebrated by the Yi minority, who are quite different to the tibetans, and there was almost no Yi people in the village. Apparently everyone just celebrates everyone else's festivals since tahts the culture. Its a culture where festivals are crucial to the way of life (see family, dance etc... whatever reasons people have for festivals), and the reasons behind them get lost somewhat. In fact that festival was not very exciting, even in the Yi villages!
thats enough for now, probably more to come. hope its slightly interesting!
Well, i have realised that although my chinese is not great, its enough to be able to make friends with those that dont speak Chinese; even if i only understand a little of the more advanced conversation. It means i definitely think i can take more value from travelling in a country where i speak (some of) the language rather than other countries in south asia, africa or south america (not that i have the time or the money to go to any of those places soon!). Its much more interesting being able to read signs and things, talk to some people, and organise transport and accommodation!
I've been thinking a bit about backpacking. Its been obvious for several months that you learn a lot more about a country by staying there a long time, and the same can be said about learning about a city, or village too. So i think its great many 'gappers' spend a few months in one place, and would reccommend it. Afterwards you are then able to take more from the places you only briefly touch. But i have realised the most fun moments from travelling are with other people, and irrelevant on the place (apart from being the place to find those people), that the most attractive things are almost always the natural objects, not the man-made, and that the most interesting man-made things to see, are the oldest (that are still surviving). The best way of seeing a culture is to see it in its natural form; and that you have to accept that many of the worst things that toursits see, are because the locals' way of life is improving (defined as the fact that the locals choose a new way of life since it must make their lives better). Thus for me to moan about Lijiang, its just to say that the lijiangers are presumably doing better now than they were before; so i should just accept this.
When hiking around xishuangbanna; its amazing to see how people can live, and to see how technology/globalisation can and cannot affect them. People are perfectly happy with a limited diet and only 1 lightbulb (very poor light - bad for eyes), but have their TV. These are people who have yet to go out and buy clothes with english written on them (which they dont understand). But, many of the villages had motorbikes and of course, the odd tractor, since otherwise they would not be able to communicate or trade. Both being a cruical part of economic development. Its strange though, since most of the villagers (and many in the towns) still carry things in baskets on their backs (ow 2 baskets on the end of a stick, that they balance on their shoulders)... many, many of the old people's backs are destroyed from working manually, and yet this is how they continue to work. Whether they have other options or not, i am not sure, but it certainly seems as though some seem to shun technology (even a basket on wheels would be a better way of transporting fruit in the cities!).
I read that 1 of the (many) reasons behind the US rejecting the kyoto (climate change) protocol was because of developing countries not being a part of it (even though, those countries are trying to reduce their impacts anyway); in particular the quote was that every week, China is building a new power station using 1960s technology. So its really irrelevant how much progress some countries make, or even 1 country makes in 1 area, if in other areas, it is going backwards. Indeed China is planning on implementing strict new standards for new vehicles emissions. This is great for new vehicles, but in the countryside, the lorries and the tractors are not going to be replaced any time soon -there is not the money to. Interestingly, peugot's CEO (i think) recently floated the idea that the EU should provide a 1000 euros to people with old cars just to get rid of them! In China, this would be a great idea. Every single vehicle that is not a passengar car in China; outside of a few cities (and even in most cities) belts out black smoke. China is supposed to be very inefficient with its energy use, and with the government still subsidising oil, i can't see that changing soon.
Yunnan houses some 50% of china's minorities, and we probably saw about a quarter of those in 2 weeks; a great deal of them are more religious based (influenced by buddhism and so forth from south asia). However i dont think many of them actually practice religion. I asked the specialist in the museum who said that religion is not about praying or beliefs, more about a way of life. In southern china there are no religious frictions like you have elsewhere around the world, since noone strictly believes in religion. In fact the reason (she said) most monasteries survive in small towns is because they function as schools (and function well). I think for many of the old monks, they carry on with their way of life, because it is their way of life. I think for many of the young monks, they do it because of peer/family pressure and because it is like school. I asked a chinese friend about how come so many people are always seen praying in monasteries in beijing, even with so few being religious, and she thinks that people just do it for 'luck' -pray for the good health of someone or other, rather than knowing who they are praying too or anything like that. In Baishuitai, one of the locals (area mostly tibetan) said that they would be celebrating the torch festial, when i asked him. This is strange since its a festival celebrated by the Yi minority, who are quite different to the tibetans, and there was almost no Yi people in the village. Apparently everyone just celebrates everyone else's festivals since tahts the culture. Its a culture where festivals are crucial to the way of life (see family, dance etc... whatever reasons people have for festivals), and the reasons behind them get lost somewhat. In fact that festival was not very exciting, even in the Yi villages!
thats enough for now, probably more to come. hope its slightly interesting!
almost back...
First, where have I been? From Dali onto LiJiang. hmmm, well its great architechture but it looks like it was built 3 years ago not 300! Its the opposite of Pingyao -the 300 year old chinse city untouched since. Lijiang has 4 types of shops, but 200 of each. It is amazingly pretty, especially at night, and nice to walk around, for a day before you scream ...'where is the real china?'. Actually in the evenings restaurants line both sides of 1 of the rivers, and people have competitions singing and shouting against each other. The 2nd night i grabbed another traveller and took him there, but it was a bit quiet, so we grabbed our beers, joined a random table and sung our hearts out with the chorus of 'ai-da-mi' and 'liang zhe lao hu' (the only suitable things we knew in chinese) although we also did happy birthday in english..not sure why as we know it in chinese. I think it was the chinese guys' idea (cause they knew it) and as they were paying for unlimited jugs of beer....
the next morning, a hungover Adam awoke at 7am to get the 1st bus to Tiger Leaping Gorge to hike for 8-9 hours up and down a spectacular mountain and gorge with 20kgs of my stuff on my bag. the rain was supposed to make it dangerous, but it soon stopped and was safe (the golden rule is 'no walking whilst sightseeing and no sightseeing whilst walking' unless you want to walk off a cliff....). It was totally gobsmacking; massive snow-capped mountains, quiet, fresh-air and a gret hike (after the tough uphill 3 hours). pictures to follow! one of the best things i have done in china..ever.
after a night at the hostel (and a visit to the 'stone' where the 'tiger' 'leaped' across the gorge -note the ' ', since it was a pointless trip to the river to get wet and slip all over the place on the awful path) , the hostel which would make anything on its menu 'happy' since it grew its wn weed, i hiked another 2 hours up the big mountain and back for the sake of it, then bussed (2 hrs) over to baishuitai (lit. white water platform); where before it got dark i saw some limestone rocks with water on them. would have been more impressive had i not seen the same thing already in turkey a few years ago. the best thing was doing the visit and spending the night/dinner with a family (mum, dad, daughter) so i could practice my chinese and have lots of fun with the amazingly cute 11 year old. it reminded me of what is so kind about chinese people (they are all when they are not trying to sell you something!).
Then bussed up to Zhongdian (AKA Shangri-la); although stupidly offered to help push the van in front of us, and got my hiking boots wet (there was a landslide that blocked the river, so the river was flowing over the bridge blocking it with rocks, and an hour later a tractor recued all the stuck vehicles). Never mind; the ride (4 hrs) was beautiful (i wanted to hike it over 2 days but would have had to pay for a guide as the paths are hard to find) and i arrived in zhongdian to see the tibetan monastery and walk around the old town. hmm, since only about 3 buildings are actually old and the rest are being built to look old (lijiang style) it was disappointing. however the oldest building belonged to a guy who was imprisoned for 21 years becuase of/during the cultural revolution and he had some interesting stories (that i didnt really follow in chinese) but an english summary was useful!
Chris arrived (with Dan, a friend from USA) and the following morning we got yet another bus (6 hrs, even more beatiful views of mountains and countryside) up past 4,200m to Deqin (a town created for the invasion of tibet back in the 50s i guess) where we promptly left (yuck) on another 2 hour bus to a glacier nearby. This required a 2 hour hike up (oooh, altitude makes it a bit tough) , some amazing photos and then a look for the supposed guesthouse (during this trip i have lost more and more respect for the lazy lonely planeters). It didnt exist so we kindly asked the monk at the monastery if we could stay; we could! (i guess other LPers have ended up here too!) what a bizarre place to stay; just 1 local villager (i think they do 3 month stints each looking after the monastery) and 1 mad monk (slept on a rug outside our room cross-legged and was permanently rotating some weird drum thing). he helped us cook dinner (rice which he provided and roasted peanuts which we provided) on an open fire and gave us some strange bread.
The next morning, 10 yuan poorer, we reversed the journey all the way back to zhongdian (oh by the way, on the way downt he galcier we saw a mini-avalanche :) and then just imagined what we missed the previous night when we were woken with a huge 'crunching' noise at 3am -must have been massive) where i bussed (14 hrs) back to kunming and tomorrow morning i fly to Beijing. last night another bus broke down, but apparently the cargo on it was urgent (mushrooms for market) so we stopped and took the precious cargo onboard (via another place where we spent 1 hour weighing the mushrooms!!) and i guess it got to market this morning on time.
Second, well, wait a few minutes and you'll find out!
the next morning, a hungover Adam awoke at 7am to get the 1st bus to Tiger Leaping Gorge to hike for 8-9 hours up and down a spectacular mountain and gorge with 20kgs of my stuff on my bag. the rain was supposed to make it dangerous, but it soon stopped and was safe (the golden rule is 'no walking whilst sightseeing and no sightseeing whilst walking' unless you want to walk off a cliff....). It was totally gobsmacking; massive snow-capped mountains, quiet, fresh-air and a gret hike (after the tough uphill 3 hours). pictures to follow! one of the best things i have done in china..ever.
after a night at the hostel (and a visit to the 'stone' where the 'tiger' 'leaped' across the gorge -note the ' ', since it was a pointless trip to the river to get wet and slip all over the place on the awful path) , the hostel which would make anything on its menu 'happy' since it grew its wn weed, i hiked another 2 hours up the big mountain and back for the sake of it, then bussed (2 hrs) over to baishuitai (lit. white water platform); where before it got dark i saw some limestone rocks with water on them. would have been more impressive had i not seen the same thing already in turkey a few years ago. the best thing was doing the visit and spending the night/dinner with a family (mum, dad, daughter) so i could practice my chinese and have lots of fun with the amazingly cute 11 year old. it reminded me of what is so kind about chinese people (they are all when they are not trying to sell you something!).
Then bussed up to Zhongdian (AKA Shangri-la); although stupidly offered to help push the van in front of us, and got my hiking boots wet (there was a landslide that blocked the river, so the river was flowing over the bridge blocking it with rocks, and an hour later a tractor recued all the stuck vehicles). Never mind; the ride (4 hrs) was beautiful (i wanted to hike it over 2 days but would have had to pay for a guide as the paths are hard to find) and i arrived in zhongdian to see the tibetan monastery and walk around the old town. hmm, since only about 3 buildings are actually old and the rest are being built to look old (lijiang style) it was disappointing. however the oldest building belonged to a guy who was imprisoned for 21 years becuase of/during the cultural revolution and he had some interesting stories (that i didnt really follow in chinese) but an english summary was useful!
Chris arrived (with Dan, a friend from USA) and the following morning we got yet another bus (6 hrs, even more beatiful views of mountains and countryside) up past 4,200m to Deqin (a town created for the invasion of tibet back in the 50s i guess) where we promptly left (yuck) on another 2 hour bus to a glacier nearby. This required a 2 hour hike up (oooh, altitude makes it a bit tough) , some amazing photos and then a look for the supposed guesthouse (during this trip i have lost more and more respect for the lazy lonely planeters). It didnt exist so we kindly asked the monk at the monastery if we could stay; we could! (i guess other LPers have ended up here too!) what a bizarre place to stay; just 1 local villager (i think they do 3 month stints each looking after the monastery) and 1 mad monk (slept on a rug outside our room cross-legged and was permanently rotating some weird drum thing). he helped us cook dinner (rice which he provided and roasted peanuts which we provided) on an open fire and gave us some strange bread.
The next morning, 10 yuan poorer, we reversed the journey all the way back to zhongdian (oh by the way, on the way downt he galcier we saw a mini-avalanche :) and then just imagined what we missed the previous night when we were woken with a huge 'crunching' noise at 3am -must have been massive) where i bussed (14 hrs) back to kunming and tomorrow morning i fly to Beijing. last night another bus broke down, but apparently the cargo on it was urgent (mushrooms for market) so we stopped and took the precious cargo onboard (via another place where we spent 1 hour weighing the mushrooms!!) and i guess it got to market this morning on time.
Second, well, wait a few minutes and you'll find out!
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