Disability in China

I said half jokingly to my travel mates that China was not ADA compliant, but there's a lot of truth in that. At the Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City we saw a few individuals in wheelchairs. There was a crude sort of wheelchair ramp leading up to the Temple of Heaven, but a wheelchair-bound person would need a team of helpers to get him/her safely up and back as the angle was so steep. At the Forbidden City, time after time, an elderly lady in a wheelchair had to get up and walk across one of the numerous thresholds (which I previously posted about) while her male companion lifted the wheelchair over to the other side where she would seat herself again. On one occasion Jason kindly helped a man lift his elder relative seated in the wheelchair over a threshold. He was rewarded with many smiles and nods from both men. We saw stairs navigated in the same manner.

Frankly we did not encounter many disabled Chinese citizens in our travels. Sometimes we would see individuals with limb deformities or mental disabilities begging at major tourist sites. We kept noticing signs in Beijing for "Blind Massage," which puzzled us. Alice told us that this was one of  the occupations that people with visual impairments were encouraged to enter and it was one where they excelled. The thought was that because a person's sense of sight was compromised, he/she might have the other senses heightened, particularly that of touch. For this reason (and not because a blind massage therapist wouldn't judge the client's physical shape, which I thought would be a real bonus), blind massage was quite popular.

For more on disability in China, see the newspaper articles on this topic in my "China Daily Articles" post.
Peggy

Gift giving

Everyone in our group was impressed with how thoughtful our Chinese hosts were. We received gifts from so many of the people we met. Mr. Huo, the talented bronze artist, whose factory we visited in Xi'an, gave all of us a replica of "Galloping Horse," a sculpture from the East Han Dynasty (about 25-100 A.D.). He urged us even to take anything we liked from his display room, which we declined, although there were many lovely options. In talking with me individually Mr. Huo offered to donate a sculpture to my childrens' schools, which, while tempting, I did not feel I could accept.

The Confucius Institute in Beijing, which was responsible for our trip, gave each member of our group a different Chinese paper cutting as a memento. Paper cutting is an absolute artform in China and involves the skill of just one person, a pair of scissors, and a piece of paper. The creations that emerge are amazing. Here are some of the images: https://www.google.com/search?q=chinese+paper+cutting&hl=en&rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS438US438&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=3RTFT76TCqbc2AWCk8lj&ved=0CHkQsAQ&biw=1600&bih=747

As an aside, I should mention that in the not too distant past, a Chinese woman was not considered good wife material unless she could produce beautiful paper cuttings.

At each of the universities we visited the faculty and administration had gift bags for us and at Soochow University many of the art faculty gave us some of their art work.

Our very knowledgeable and patient tour guide in Beijing, Michael, even gave us all a small gift on our last day together, and you've already read earlier in the blog about how Alice's husband, Mr. Foo presented us all with strands of pearls.

This generosity of spirit and hospitality is a touching aspect of Chinese culture.

Rockery

Paige and I were introduced to a new word in China (one of many) -- that of "rockery." Essentially a rockery is a rock garden. These were quite popular, particularly in Souzhou. The rock used is limestone, which is very porous and gives way to unusual shapes and forms, leading one to believe that the rocks in the gardens were sculpted by man. However, this is not the case. The elements, and water in particular, create the unique sculptures. Typically the limestone had to be transported long distances from South China. Anyone who had a rockery was recognized as wealthy because of the expense associated with moving the limestone from its quarry.

Peggy

Thresholds

Many of the ancient buildings we toured in China had high thresholds at the entrances to rooms. Thresholds served spiritual purposes, to keep evil spirits out, and practical purposes, to keep water out. These thresholds were quite high, causing one to have to step very carefully and purposefully over. The higher the threshold, the wealthier or higher in status the owner of the building. Women should step over the threshold leading with the right foot while men should lead with the left foot. This stems from the Chinese belief in Yin and Yang. Yin is associated with the feminine, while Yang is associated with the masculine.

Peggy

Bringing Sexy Back

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), one of the most prosperous periods of Chinese history, Emperor Xuanzong had a beloved concubine, Yang Guifei, about whom much was written. Yang was reported to have a voluptuous figure and started a fashion trend towards full-figured ladies being all the rage. A woman with a double chin was very desirable during this time . When our group toured a musuem in Xi'an, we viewed a porcelain exhibit of these fashionable ladies, which you can see in the picture Paige took. Their low necklines were apparently very scandalous for the time.

Later in our travels we visited a courtyard home in Beijing. Immediately on being seated around a table in the receiving room my eyes were drawn to a large glass jar of dark liquid containing a preserved snake. I was at once repelled (fearing I might be asked to consume some of the substance) and fascinated. I asked the hostess about the jar of liquid and was informed through an interpreter that the unfortunate snake was caught in a rural area, then preserved with some combination of ingredients the hostess had prepared. After we'd left the courtyard home I was informed that some Chinese people believe that the snake will release its essence in such a concoction and help bolster a man's sexual stamina if he drinks it. Kind of like a tradtional Chinese viagra, I thought...

Peggy

China Daily Articles

I finally had a chance to read the China Daily English language newspaper I picked up in the airport. Here are links to some articles I found interesting:

Education

"Students prep on amino acid drips" http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2012-05/08/content_15239380.htm

"Parents 'wait and see' on all-boys classes" http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-05/21/content_15341409.htm

"Racing for places at schools" http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-05/21/content_15341393.htm

"'Fortunetellers' guide students through exams" http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-05/22/content_15351884.htm 

"Elite colleges must embrace rural students" http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-05/22/content_15351914.htm

"Be yourselves, coaches tell Chinese students" http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sunday/2012-05/20/content_15338621.htm


Disability

"Reading without seeing" http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2012-05/22/content_15356372.htm

"Grandma returns to school, to teach love" http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2012-05/22/content_15351842.htm

"Light at the end of the tunnel" http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2012-05/24/content_15377582.htm

Peggy

Beautiful Babies and Cherished Children

As Peggy expressed in her "Welcome Home and Highlights" post, the people of China LOVE their children; their beautiful faces and expressions quite often stopped us in our tracks. As humble as the people were, they were thrilled by the attention to and photographs taken of their babies, and the care-givers were most often grandparents.

Lindang Hutongs and Rickshaws

On our last day in Beijing, we discovered the history of hutongs, courtyard homes, and rickshaws.

The hutongs, and their associated courtyard houses (or siheyuan, meaning four sided courtyard or quadrangle) are still an essential part of the unique character of Beijing. The hutongs are the ancient alleyways or lanes formed between lines of courtyard houses. Up until around 60 years ago most of the residential areas of Beijing were composed of hutongs and quadrangles. What gives the hutongs their unique character are the courtyard houses, hiding behind their long attractive curtain walls, with just the doorways giving a clue as to what lies behind. The main buildings in the hutongs were almost always quadrangles. The courtyard house is one of the most interesting features of traditional Chinese architecture. Source: http://www.sacu.org/hutongs.html

Paige and Peggy with the gracious owner of a courtyard home

Walnut tree in the courtyard

Walnuts

A trip through the hutongs on rickshaws gave us a glimpse of Chinese traditional life.

Kim and Alice

Naptime

Olympic Park

http://www.youtube.com/user/beijing2008?feature=relchannel

Getting to see the "Bird's Nest" Olympic Stadium up close was a real treat. The architecture was amazing and I was surprised that all of those pieces woven together to make the bird's nest were concrete, and not metal, as they appeared to be on tv and in reality. The Olympic Park covers a lot of area and includes the famous "Water Cube" where the aquatic sports events were held. It was very hazy on this day, as you can see in the pictures, and we were probably at the venue around 3 p.m.

The photo at the bottom says "Smiling Beijing Traffic Police." We didn't see any of them...

Peggy

Welcome Home and Highlights!

 Safely and snugly at home again in Mobile/Grand Bay -- Sweet Home Alabama! I got the best welcome home at the Mobile airport from my husband, Dave, who brought my sweet girl, Ruth, to greet me. Nothing like being in the arms of those who love you. Then we drove to my son's (Paul's) school and got him out on an early dismissal. I was so happy to see him that I gave him a hug in the school parking lot, probably to the mortification of his 6th-grade soul.

I return from China utterly exhausted, body clock completely out of whack, sinus infection raging (nothing unusual for me), but so full of happiness at the MOST excellent adventure we had there.

These things about China made the biggest impression on me:

1. The Chinese people are very friendly. I was made to feel welcome everywhere I went. In hotels, restaurants, attractions, and especially in casual encounters on the street, people were so nice. I was never made to feel ignorant because I didn't know the language or customs, and I never felt that people were looking at me with suspicion, only honest curiosity. I don't know what I was expecting, but I was really impressed with the hospitality and genuine care shown me by the Chinese. I also felt very safe throughout the trip. In fact, I felt safer during my two weeks in China than I ever did during my two years of living in Russia.

2. Chinese people love their children. No, I mean they really, really love their children. They cherish their children, in the truest sense of the word. You have seen in Paige's pictures how beautiful the Chinese babies are (and I never saw one that wasn't beautiful) and how lovingly the parents and grandparents regard them. I do know that the one child policy has had an impact on how the Chinese value their offspring, but I don't know what the sentiment toward children was before the policy was enacted. What I can say is that Chinese children are highly valued, raised with great affection, and are the pride of their families. That feeling was evident everywhere we went in China and it was beautiful to witness.

3. China is booming with tourism. Again, not sure what I was expecting, but I was blown away by the number of international tourists in China. One morning I had breakfast with some lovely Aussies on a tour of China. The next morning I sat with some Brits. Another time I shared an elevator with a lady from New Zealand. Over breakfast again I made friends with two widows from Wisconsin who were touring China. We passed a tour group from Brazil in the Forbidden City. As I shared in an earlier post, I met a man from Birmingham, AL, on the Great Wall!

Mary Jo, our Troy group leader, said that she'd witnessed an amazing increase in the number of tourists in China over the last five years. She attributed some of this to the 2008 Olympics, which were  held in Beijing. This makes sense. Beijing (and China in general) made a lot of changes and improvements to infrastructure, facilities, etc., in preparation for the Olympics, and people were impressed. Also the television coverage of the Olympics, including that great Opening Ceremony, made folks want to visit China...and they are!

- Peggy