How to Comprehend

18 January 2008

I am sitting here, trying to comprehend the events of the past few days and ultimately I am at a loss. I have begun to understand the saying "T.I.C." meaning This Is China. T.I.C. refers to the fact that even though things are planned and organized, many times it does not actually happen the way we expect, all of which is rather typical of China. Many times I cannot separate what is the result of Chinese history, what is the enforcement of the current capitalistic boom, and what is tradition. Needless to say the five days I spent in China left me with a number of questions.

On my second day in port, Rob, a student from Sydney by way of South Africa, and I traveled to Hangzhou, which is thought of as the garden town of eastern China. Considered to be a small city by Shanghai standards, Hangzhou boast a population of 6 million people. We quickly found many oddities that must be mentioned. First, there is no heat in China. We spent the day predominantly outside in the freezing cold and rain; however, when we were inside, very few buildings were heated, which did not bode well for my frozen toes. Second, when a help desk advertises "English Service" it does not mean the girl behind the counter knows more than "Hello" and the English words for numbers. Third, even if you clearly cannot speak or understand Chinese it does not stop people from trying to talk to you or even yell at you.

After the taxi ride from the train station to West Lake we took a boat tour of the tiny islands sprinkled throughout the lake. With the architecture and surrounding temples I wouldn't have been surprised to see a large sea creature emerge from the water. After the tour we attempted to find lunch, which proved more difficult than expected. It is quite discouraging to be turned away from not one but two restaurants, especially when you are starving. Fortunately, we found a small cafe, and although there were no pictures or English words we were able to have a wonderful meal. We made our way back to the train station to venture back to our floating home. While in the station we were approached by a young man who wanted to practice his English. We sat and spoke with him for nearly a half an hour asking questions and have him translate things for us. He was so proud to be able to speak with us and after exchanging email addresses we took a photo and were on our way. During the 3 hour train ride back (the same distance we covered on the way there that only took an hour) Rob and I slept most of the way; however, every time I opened my eyes a pair of little eyes stared back at me from the little girl in the seat in front of us. I must admit I am getting used to have people stare at me, it is amazing to see their curiosity.

The following two days were spent doing AFPs (Academic Field Programs). Everything was quite structured but we were able to get a glimpse into the social structure of the Chinese culture. At Fudan University we heard a lecture on Harmonious Society. After which we traveled to Daning Life Hub. The Life Hub is located in what Shanghai considers the suburbs (but don't be confused they look nothing like our suburbs) in what used to be predominantly farm land. It is now a large commercial center with many American stores and chains (like Starbucks). We were given a presentation by one of the senior executives and the hotel manager. It was astonishing to hear the the hotel built there was able to make back it's value and turn a profit in less than 4 months! I was very intrigued about the displaced people from the farms, as well as how this new commercial space has affected the local citizens. Unfortunately my questions were side-skirted. What I began to understand was that the capitalist boom in China does not really require business men to think of the people. They instead, give huge sums of money to the government, who then consider the interest of the people. I find it difficult to think that the lower class families who live in the area are better off with the ability to buy a cup of Starbucks coffee or shop at H&M, however that was definitely the conveyed message.

The second day we traveled to a history museum that helped us better understand the traditional values and norms of Chinese culture. Later we were welcomed into a community center where there are classes for any age group, housing for families and the elderly, and a number of schools. Playing with the children and listen to them sing and dance truly lifted everyone's spirits. They were so unbelievably welcoming and I felt I needed to give them something in return to deserve their hospitality. We also had the opportunity to go in small groups to various middle class homes in the area. The home I visited consisted of a husband and wife, their son, and the husbands mother (multi-generations living together is extremely common in Chinese culture). To give you some understanding of the size, their home was smaller than my apartment in Chicago. She was so open with us about everything including the 1970s re-education period where Mao took educated young adults and sent them back to the farms to strip them of their propriety and be one with the people.

My last day in Shanghai was spent wandering about on my own admiring the glamorous buildings that are backdropped by collapsing shanties. Ultimately, the experience was quite eye opening, with far too much information that I am unable to convey properly. Although you could spend years in Shanghai and not see or understand it completely, I do feel I have a little more insight into their ways and customs.

Yesterday morning (Jan 17), around 3am we pulled out of the river and made our way back to the rough waters of the open sea. We have one week on the ship before reaching Thailand and everyone is excited about warmer climates (it rained nearly every day in Shanghai). I would love to hear from you all. Here on the ship we are making a number of connections and being here makes me dream of future adventures. Hope all is well. I would love to know who all is reading this so let me know if you have any questions and I'll try to answer them in my next entry.