Quick update: had team planning, ice-skating on hou hai and xmas eve party, then flew home for family and food (of course!)
Since the first day I arrived here I realised how little I know about China (even though I read a little before I came). In fact what I knew was: Tiananmen Sqaure (violence or other), Mao (dictator of some kind), Communist state, Great Wall (near Beijing maybe), Hong Kong (handovered or something), Booming Economy and the new stuff I read about (Cultural Revolution, Great Leap Forward etc).
Part of my weblog was about telling people more about China, but I guess I have also tried to restrain myself (not wanting to 'lecture') and having lived there for over a year I've probably forgotten both this idea and how different the country is.
Coming back and showing photos to friends received the expected questions about Beijing's masive development, pollution and so on. But it also led to questions about Tibet (is it a country?), Religion (are chinese people buddhist?), Taiwain (is it its own country?) and so on. I had forgotten how much basic (yet complicated) issues are little know. How some of the World is learning about a railway in Tibet and its consequences but yet don't know the history of Tibet.
It is strange, from my perspective when I think back and learned that most chinese people have this (somewhat justified) hatred of Japan due to historical tensions, that the official Chinese Church still recognises the government over the Vatican (and thus the Vatican recognises Taipei as the rulers rather than Beijing) and that the Chinese New Year is mostly a quiet time for families rather than the raucousness of a Western New Year.
Not much has changed in the UK really (except for more speed cameras!); but I am getting a different perspective on China... the next few weeks will be busy but manageable, but hopefully fun..preparing for 2007! London on the 5th is a party -all welcome after a New Year's one as well. UK prices, 12 days to go...
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Monday, December 19, 2005
the end of another year
I'm 24 years old, have already had 2 parties to celebrate (and probably more to come in the UK) and its almost 2006. Its a bit scary, realising I have not seen so many people for such a long time and having spent b'day 04 and 05 here, it feels like i have been away for even more than 15 months.
I read the UK papers almost every day, so I feel like I know what is happening, but I am currently comparing it to the fact that I speak to chinese people every day and live in China. I still probably don't know China that well, and nor do I really know what its like in the UK. Maybe nothing has changed. but since I've left there have been terrorist bombs in london, the olympic bid, a General election (though that didn't change anything unfortunately!), friends getting engaged, changing jobs and all kinds of other things.
I'm going to come home knowing I am only around for a short time, do not know exactly when I will be back, and not exactly knowing what job I can or cannot find next summer in order to get my career up another step. hmmm. no time for reflection really. I am only 24 and there are plenty of opportunities. Soon it will be time to make yet more decisions -I should have a successor lined up within 2 months and then job applications, summer travelling to organise and a hot spring/summer in China that should convince more UK-ers to come visit.
Anyway I'm still tired from train journeys and shopping (damn cheap fake goods will take up most of my suitcase!) and later this week we have team planning, christmas eve dinner and then...woosh.
And whilst all this is happening, every day I continue to read about the ongoing western media's analysis of the chinese media's handling of the small protest and associated killing in Guandong that took place last week. China is still a fascinating country... with fascinating people everywhere, and a langauge that I just cannot master....yet!!
I read the UK papers almost every day, so I feel like I know what is happening, but I am currently comparing it to the fact that I speak to chinese people every day and live in China. I still probably don't know China that well, and nor do I really know what its like in the UK. Maybe nothing has changed. but since I've left there have been terrorist bombs in london, the olympic bid, a General election (though that didn't change anything unfortunately!), friends getting engaged, changing jobs and all kinds of other things.
I'm going to come home knowing I am only around for a short time, do not know exactly when I will be back, and not exactly knowing what job I can or cannot find next summer in order to get my career up another step. hmmm. no time for reflection really. I am only 24 and there are plenty of opportunities. Soon it will be time to make yet more decisions -I should have a successor lined up within 2 months and then job applications, summer travelling to organise and a hot spring/summer in China that should convince more UK-ers to come visit.
Anyway I'm still tired from train journeys and shopping (damn cheap fake goods will take up most of my suitcase!) and later this week we have team planning, christmas eve dinner and then...woosh.
And whilst all this is happening, every day I continue to read about the ongoing western media's analysis of the chinese media's handling of the small protest and associated killing in Guandong that took place last week. China is still a fascinating country... with fascinating people everywhere, and a langauge that I just cannot master....yet!!
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Fengyang Lu
the best street in Shanghai is fengyang lu. There are not that many parts of Shanghai that feel chinese..there are some, but not many. Fengyang lu is one of them. What makes it Chinese?
-the hordes of cyclists and motorcyclists that constantly pass by and get stuck at the traffic lights (causing my father to quote that he thought there was a race about to start...)
-the 3, 4, 5 rmb options for a cooked meal that you can get from a lady every 50m who has just cooked 10 dishes in big pots, put the big pots outside her house and then serves it to you (you pay more for more dishes squeezed into your box)
-the dumplings and baozi (steamed bread with fillings) places that provide cheap, takeaway food
-the hairdressers (they're everywhere in China)
-the spitting
-the food market that leads off the street with people selling all kinds of things, including (of course) bits of animals that you dont think can be eaten, and bits of meat that really don't think should be the resting place for so many flies...
-the street food for breakfast
-the crazy cars that turn right on a red light (when pedestrians have a green light, which is legal) and like a hot knife in butter carve a way through the crowds
-the cars that will reverse up a street cause the missed the turning, or will just go down a 1-way street the wrong way because...well, because they can!
-the people-wardens (yep, like traffic wardens) that man the pedestrian lights!
...and many other things besides.
Its also a great street because its a 2 minute walk from the subway station, 5 minutes from the center of Shanghai and because it is definitely Shanghai. It has patisseries on it (yep, the french shops selling breads, cakes etc) and it has a hospital that is spanking new and over 25 floors. It has a couple of highways zooming over it, it has a couple of skyscrapers dotted along it, or just behind it and it has fake DVD shops. Plus, of course it has Devrim and his wonderful appartment (until yesterday when the phone and internet stopped working) where I stay in Shanghai. Oh, and in case I have not mentioned food enough (and you really need to spend a month in china, just eating (since menus are often 20 pages long and there are at least 15 styles of chinese food) to get to know China) -the fantastic hot pot, xinjiang and fried dumpling restaurants on/beside it!
Its the reason why I've fallen in love with Shanghai -not just the beautiful strolling around the french quarter, the sheer scale of the skyscrapers, the huge number of fancy appartments or foreigners and not even the style that oozes from a place with ferrari shops, xmas lights (a bit tacky by shanghai standards, but they dont exist much else in mainland china) and a subway with 12 exits and automatic gates!
fengyang lu -respect!
-the hordes of cyclists and motorcyclists that constantly pass by and get stuck at the traffic lights (causing my father to quote that he thought there was a race about to start...)
-the 3, 4, 5 rmb options for a cooked meal that you can get from a lady every 50m who has just cooked 10 dishes in big pots, put the big pots outside her house and then serves it to you (you pay more for more dishes squeezed into your box)
-the dumplings and baozi (steamed bread with fillings) places that provide cheap, takeaway food
-the hairdressers (they're everywhere in China)
-the spitting
-the food market that leads off the street with people selling all kinds of things, including (of course) bits of animals that you dont think can be eaten, and bits of meat that really don't think should be the resting place for so many flies...
-the street food for breakfast
-the crazy cars that turn right on a red light (when pedestrians have a green light, which is legal) and like a hot knife in butter carve a way through the crowds
-the cars that will reverse up a street cause the missed the turning, or will just go down a 1-way street the wrong way because...well, because they can!
-the people-wardens (yep, like traffic wardens) that man the pedestrian lights!
...and many other things besides.
Its also a great street because its a 2 minute walk from the subway station, 5 minutes from the center of Shanghai and because it is definitely Shanghai. It has patisseries on it (yep, the french shops selling breads, cakes etc) and it has a hospital that is spanking new and over 25 floors. It has a couple of highways zooming over it, it has a couple of skyscrapers dotted along it, or just behind it and it has fake DVD shops. Plus, of course it has Devrim and his wonderful appartment (until yesterday when the phone and internet stopped working) where I stay in Shanghai. Oh, and in case I have not mentioned food enough (and you really need to spend a month in china, just eating (since menus are often 20 pages long and there are at least 15 styles of chinese food) to get to know China) -the fantastic hot pot, xinjiang and fried dumpling restaurants on/beside it!
Its the reason why I've fallen in love with Shanghai -not just the beautiful strolling around the french quarter, the sheer scale of the skyscrapers, the huge number of fancy appartments or foreigners and not even the style that oozes from a place with ferrari shops, xmas lights (a bit tacky by shanghai standards, but they dont exist much else in mainland china) and a subway with 12 exits and automatic gates!
fengyang lu -respect!
Friday, December 02, 2005
Human Rights!
Just spent a few days with some of the most important business men in the world at the United Nations Global Compact summitt in Shanghai -kinda cool. Before that was spending the weekend with the President of AIESEC International (Brodie) (who is younger than me -and then I was sharing a bed with since we were all crashing at Diggidy's in Shanghai).
Brodie's not that important really, and obviously very down-to-earth; so doesn't compare to the boat trip on the river in Shanghai on Wednesday night. That was a classic night, since I spoke to the 3 most important people related to Human Rights IN THE WORLD, on a boat IN CHINA! It was very, very, very cool to chat with Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. It was much more fun to also talk to the Heads of both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Both of these organisations are totally banned in China (websites, the staff cannot get visas normally etc) -but both were allowed into China on 4 day visas (actually the Human Rights Watch guy was given a 30 day one, then they called him and changed their mind to give him a 4 day one, once the computer realised who he was!). Because they are both founding organisations of the Global Compact, their attending (and speaking) was a precondition for the Conference to be hosted by China.
very cool stuff, the conference was interesting and fun; the week in Shanghai has been busy as hell but great, and next week will be likewise in Beijing hopefully. now i just need to find time to try to organise the New Year's Party and to go shopping before I return home!
World AIDS Day was yesterday -keep the promise.
Brodie's not that important really, and obviously very down-to-earth; so doesn't compare to the boat trip on the river in Shanghai on Wednesday night. That was a classic night, since I spoke to the 3 most important people related to Human Rights IN THE WORLD, on a boat IN CHINA! It was very, very, very cool to chat with Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. It was much more fun to also talk to the Heads of both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Both of these organisations are totally banned in China (websites, the staff cannot get visas normally etc) -but both were allowed into China on 4 day visas (actually the Human Rights Watch guy was given a 30 day one, then they called him and changed their mind to give him a 4 day one, once the computer realised who he was!). Because they are both founding organisations of the Global Compact, their attending (and speaking) was a precondition for the Conference to be hosted by China.
very cool stuff, the conference was interesting and fun; the week in Shanghai has been busy as hell but great, and next week will be likewise in Beijing hopefully. now i just need to find time to try to organise the New Year's Party and to go shopping before I return home!
World AIDS Day was yesterday -keep the promise.
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