Crossing the Street

Crossing the street in China is not advisable. However, if you must, here is a method that has proven effective, at least so far. I insert myself in the middle of a group of Chinese pedestrians, ensuring that I am flanked on all sides. Then I move with the surge of the crowd. This way I am safely ferried across the street.

While I have now seen several accidents involving single bicycles and cars, I have yet to witness an entire crowd being mown down. So my theory is there's safety in numbers.

- Peggy


Kim, Jason and I have ventured out most nights to explore night life in China and although I felt a rush of adrenaline every time I stepped out onto the street, I have become much more skilled at making it to the other side during rush hour traffic...I must float like a butterfly! Kim and I found that holding hands helps as we dart through Beijing traffic!

-Paige

Kung Fu Martial Arts Show

Unfortunately photographs were prohibited during the Kung Fu Martial Arts show at the Red Theater because it was my favorite of all the formal entertainment we watched. The beautiful story of the the boy becoming a monk was told through the best dancing I saw in China and the martial arts was spectacular.

-Paige

The Legend of Kung Fu, is the story of a young boy trying to fulfill his dream of becoming a Kung Fu master. This boy is called Chun Yi (pure one) and was sent to a Buddhist temple to be a monk at a young age. Initially, the young monk had a hard time getting used to the strict discipline of the temple until he became interested in the unbelievable power of Kung Fu. From then on he worked hard on Kung Fu and made great achievements on the way to growing up. However, the young Chun Yi could not restrain his natural desire to chase a young beauty, so he suffered great regret and losing his way to self-cultivation. Chun Yi punished himself severely and finally returned to the way of seeking enlightenment. At the end of the show, Chun Yi is praised for being a great Buddhist master of Chinese Kung Fu.

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing/red-theater.htm

Communication University of China

We met with faculty the University of Communication of China and toured the College of Animation and Digital Arts. The Beijing university was established in 1954 and now has 30,000 students, half of whom attend class on-campus and half of whom attend via distance ed. The institution specializes in communication, media and education and has an especially strong reputation in animation. The university housed the first animation and comic book museum in China, which was very interesting to see. It had displays of vintage comic books and old equipment used in producing animation.

When we arrived on campus we saw happy groups of students in graduation garb taking pictures. I noticed that the sleeves of the graduation gowns were embroidered in yellow with a typical Chinese design and that the hoods were trimmed in a blue and red floral pattern, which are styles not seen in American academic regalia.

In our group picture taken on the steps of the building where we met with faculty the electronic sign above our heads says "Welcome artists and educators from Alabama!" I asked Paige to take my picture in front of the Department of Game Design sign because my son, Paul, thinks he might like to be a game designer one day.

The facilities in the College of Animation and Digital Arts were very impressive. We were treated to animation shorts produced by students in the College and they were first rate. One of our favorites was "Kung Fu Bunny Counterattack," by a student named Vincent, which I found on youtube. I think you'll enjoy it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJc2KExUQsw

I was not surprised, given the talents of the College's students, to hear that Hewlett Packard and DreamWorks both have ongoing collaborations with the institution.

Here's a link to the university's web site:

http://www.cuc.edu.cn/en2/cuc.htm

Tea Ceremony

Monday we were introduced to the proper way to prepare and enjoy tea. Tea is to China as coffee is to America. Our hostess at the tea house explained that the first cup of tea poured should be consumed in three sips. This sounds appalling until you understand that the tea cup only holds 2-3 ounces. There are actually two tea cups: the shorter one is for tasting while the taller cup is for smelling the aroma of the tea. The three sips for the first cup are for happiness, good luck and a long life.

Here are the five teas we sampled:

1. Oolong tea - a blend of green and black teas (my favorite)

2. Jasmine tea - made from jasmine; very fragrant. Apparently good for the liver.

3. Fruit tea - made from dried fruit. Slightly tart and sweet. Most of our group liked this one.

4. Pure black tea - produced in the Yunan province in South China. This tea is cured for up to seven years. As such, in its purest form, this tea is very expensive. It is reputed to reduce high blood pressure and high cholesterol. To be honest I thought it tasted like dirty sock water.

5. Lychee black tea and rose tea blend- made from lychee fruit and rose petals. Good for anemia and poor circulation. Quite delicious and very fragrant. Several of us would have liked to bathe in it.

According to our hostess, loose tea leaves should only be reused 10-12 times. Tea bags should only be used twice.

We enjoyed learning about the different teas and several of us purchased our favorite types to enjoy later.

Peggy

Sweet Home Alabama

At the hotel where we stayed in Suzhou there was a very interesting lounge act consisting of two ladies who sang and one gentleman who accompanied them on the keyboard. The ladies were clad in blue velvet or velour minidresses and white go-go boots as you can see in the photo. They were something else both visually and aurally.

While blogging and checking email we listened to them tackle songs by Whitney Houston and Adele with varying degrees of success. Then, out of the blue, and not by our request, they sang "Sweet Home Alabama." Yet another of our surreal China moments, but it did give us a good laugh.

The name of the trio was "Friendship."

- Peggy

The Forbidden City

To get a feel for the grandeur of the Forbidden City, watch "The Last Emperor," an Academy Award winner from 1987. It was the first movie for which the Chinese government authorized filming in the Forbidden City.

Built from 1406 to 1420, the complex contains courtyards within courtyards, and more courtyards along with buildings where for 500 years the emperors and families of the Ming and Qing Dynasties dwelled. Chinese today don't refer to the Forbidden City by this name. Instead the call it the "Palace Museum."

Bronze lions guard the entrance to the inner buildings. In Chinese culture the lion is a holy animal that can drive devils away. Therefore it is traditional to have a pair (a male on the right and a female on the left) to protect a home.

The Imperial Palace is the largest and most complete group of ancient buildings which the Chinese have preserved. No trees were planted in any of the courtyards because nothing should be taller than the tallest building within the Forbidden City, and also for fear that trees might seclude assassins who lay in wait for the emperor.

Swimming through China on the Bus

Snacks on the bus...

Beijing State of Mind

Among the many amazing and unintended consequences of our adventures in Beijing, Kim, Jason and I discovered an alley of locals enjoying night life. We were led to this location off the main street by the magnificent aroma of grilled food and after being so well fed all day, we were surprised at how appealing the smell of more food could be. Beginning with the first night of walking down this alley we were warmly greeted by a restaurant owner and his wife each time we entered. "Shaokao" is barbecue on a little table-top grill, which we watched others enjoy for a few days during our evening alley strolls and finally, on our last night in Beijing, we joined the locals. As it is sometimes described in qualitative research, we did our best to "go native."

-Paige

Tian'anmen Square

Tian'amen Square was THE place to people watch. As a major tourist attraction for Chinese citizens we were in the middle of a cultural melting pot. Chairman Mao's mausoleum is a perennial attraction as Chinese file through to pay their respects. We did not see Mao's remains, but there was a very large portrait of him on one of the buildings with large Chinese characters on either side. Alice translated these as "long live the People's Republic of China," and "all the people of the world united together."

Note the picture of us with the very friendly girls from the Anti-explosion Security Check team. And, as you will have noticed over and over again, Chinese people are delighted when you ask to pose for pictures with their children. They also are not shy about asking us, as foreigners, to pose for photos with them. Kinda makes us feel like celebrities!

- Peggy