Lijiang

Last month, the FAO took the foreign teachers on our annual school trip, and this year they chose Lijiang, Yunnan! Everyone, especially our students, were excited: Lijiang is the only Chinese city listed on UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage list, and (according to our students) is widely considered to be the Shangri-La utopia described by James Hilton.

The fact that I was not disappointed despite the hype of visiting a humanly-accessible Garden of Eden only speaks to the awesomeness of creation. (Note: none of these photos have been photoshopped or altered in any way.)

Lijiang is home to the Naxi (pronounced Naw-she) people group, who comprise about 40% of the city's population. The Naxi people take great pride in their rich culture, showcasing their traditions in song and dance with the grandest backdrop ever created: the unconquered Jade Dragon Snow Mountains themselves. (See the note above about photoshopping.)

I'm usually disturbed when The Fountains on Hwy 59 tries their hand at clear, blue water in the fountain display, sans "clear." Maybe I've eaten at Sweet Tomatoes too many times, because now when I actually encounter clear, blue water, my instinct is skepticism: can water really have that many shades of blue? that's not actually the bottom of the lake I'm seeing, right?...

Along the grassy path of the Old City, tourists were encouraged to keep off the grass in three languages: Naxi, Chinese, and Chinglish ("Be kind to the followers and grasses"). :)

Yak yogurt anyone? YES, PLEASE! Call me hesitant at first, but that yak yogurt is some tasty stuff!

Natural refrigeration: the green way to chill a cold one =P

The streams that flow through the Old Town serves as a chiller and natural alternative to indoor plumbing. 6:30AM teeth brushing, clothes washing, cooking, you name it--stream-side.

Old Town Lijiang is square foot after square foot of shops and restaurants, usually selling the same things. This restaurant, however, wins the prize for the longest name ever: "The Guiyang characteristic skin records the old shop to bake the shop"--try fitting that on a business card! =P

After climbing the mountain by the Black Dragon Pond, we were rewarded by the majestic view of the city at sunset. Many men built the thousands of buildings below, but only One created the landscape that holds them.

If I could choose to be anywhere for hours on end, it would be to sit somewhere tranquil, staring at a masterpiece.

Praise be to the artist Himself.

A City on a Hill

CNN's Jaime FlorCruz recently posted an article about Chongqing and the city's crackdown on corruption and gang violence.  Living up on Nan Shan, it's easy to forget that my community here at CQUPT is just .03% of the entire city's population of 31 million. I have the privilege of influencing my students toward a life of hope and promise, but let us not forget the city--one known for its darkness, though not devoid of mighty work. 

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- China's long simmering battle against corruption has come to a boil, this time in Chongqing, the largest megalopolis in the world. A massive crackdown has implicated millionaires, gangsters, and even police officers. Known as "dahei" (combat triads), the campaign has put the spotlight on organized crime and how it has infested local bureaucracy and businesses through bribery, extortion, blackmail and violence.

Criminal trials are under way following months of police investigation. Details of murky cases are trickling out. Among those on the dock is Xie Caiping, a portly woman believed be the "mama san" of one of Chongqing's notorious triads. Xie is accused of operating gambling dens, drug trafficking, giving and collecting bribes and terrorizing people, including policemen who had tried to investigate her illicit activities. More trials are expected as the city fights at least 14 mafia-style gangs. Given China's opaque political world, it is notable that the ongoing trial is extensively covered by the Chinese media.

For years after the Cultural Revolution, Chongqing languished as a decrepit mountain-city in Sichuan province, better known for its spicy food and poor farmers carrying goods on bamboo poles. It became the world's largest city in 1997 when the central government, by administrative edict, incorporated a huge area adjacent to the city into what is now the Chongqing municipality. China's goal was to build up Chongqing into a modern mega-city that will later serve as the new economic engine in central China. Over the years, thanks of the influx of corporate investments and central government funding in infrastructure projects, the city of 31 million has become a center of an economic boom.

But the economic boom has also led to the resurgence of local gangs engaged in human and drug trafficking, illegal gambling, prostitution, extortion and protection rackets. Gangsters were blamed for heinous crimes of murder and kidnapping. Local officials were accused of "economic crimes"-- bribery, profiteering and malversation involving public funds and property. Such abuses have prompted popular anger and social unrest.

Communist Party officials are under pressure to clean up or perish. "The life or death of the party depends on whether or not we have a strong will to punish and prevent corruption," Chinese President Hu Jintao told a meeting of the party elite last September. Party leaders pledged to attack the "acute problems" of corruption, the gap between the rich and the poor, and the lack of democracy within the party's own ranks. At the meeting, they outlined an anti-corruption directive that would compel officials and their families to disclose their property holdings and investments. "The new transparency rules are meant to curb abuse of power," says political analyst Wenran Jiang. "It's also aimed at appeasing public discontent over corruption."

In Chongqing, police operations started in June, leading to the arrest of over 4,800 suspected gangsters and the confiscation of 1,700 illegal firearms. Investigations led to many city officials, including police officers. They include Wen Qiang, Xie Caiping's brother-in-law, who is now accused of colluding with gangsters.

Highly regarded as an ace investigator, Wen was the deputy police commissioner and head of the city's justice bureau. Last August, he was stripped of his posts, detained and charged of accepting over 100 million yuan in bribes in exchange for giving gangs a "protective umbrella". Local media reports say Chongqing residents celebrated Wen's arrest by setting off firecrackers.

The "dahei" campaign is led by Bo Xilai. 60, the city's party chief who also sits on China's ruling politburo. Son of a revolutionary veteran, Bo had served as Dalian city mayor, Liaoning provincial governor and China's minister of commerce. An outsider in Chongqing, Bo has had to bring in his trusted protégé, Wang Lijun, to replace Wen Qiang as chief of police and clean up the city. Wang made his name as a tough, upright police commissioner in Liaoning province, Bo's former turf. In response, the gangs have reportedly put a 12 million yuan bounty on Wang's head.

"It not us who took the initiative to fight the underworld," Bo Xilai told the Chongqing media. "It's the underworld who has compelled us to do so. The public has been gathering at the gate of our government building, holding blood-stained pictures, deeply distressed. The underworld has killed innocent people with machetes, like butchers killing pigs -- too horrible to see." Bo said the campaign is aimed at restoring economic order and winning people's trust.

Bo's get-tough stance has earned him praises, especially among the Netizens. "Chongqing's experience should be popularized nationwide," wrote a Netizen from the eastern province of Zhejiang. "Bo should be China's leader in the new era," wrote another. Some political observers think success in Chongqing could catapult him as a "dark horse" in the next round of political transition, when the next generation of leaders take over in 2012. "Whatever his motives, the impact is not local but national," says Wenran Jiang. "Clearly, there is public support for such bold actions." Jiang, who was Bo's college classmate at Peking University in the late 1970s, remembers Bo as "a smart student of Chinese and world history who always want to do the right thing."

It remains unclear if the current house-cleaning in Chongqing will spread nationwide. Cynics doubt if the Communist Party leaders have the stomach to genuinely root out the evil of corruption wherever investigations find them. "These crackdowns are like swatting flies while ignoring tigers," shrugs a white-collar worker in Beijing. Some see progress. "At least they realize that the problem is very acute," says a government functionary [who asked to remain anonymous]. "We cannot speak of a harmonious society unless the people are treated equally before the law."

Weddings Galore!

Both weeks this month that I've been down the mountain on Nanping Lu I've seen brides, brides, and more brides! Nanping Lu features a garden and park that flanks the Yangtze River, making it a hot spot for bridal photos--rain or shine. The rainy weekend of the Mid-Autumn Festival we spotted five brides in full-on wedding gowns taking pictures. This past weekend, we spotted no less than twelve brides and wedding parties in banquet halls and restaurants along Nanping Lu. I don't know the significance of the date 10/18 in the lunar calendar, but it certainly must be auspicious.

During Beijing training, I happened to be in my hotel lobby when a wedding party arrived! This was my first encounter with a traditional Chinese ceremony, and the spectacle was enough to draw the local crowd. Who doesn't love weddings anyway?

The band started the party off with some traditional wedding tunes. They walked by me when they went outside so I saw that they still had their jeans and shorts underneath their robes =P

Confetti, firecrackers, and more confetti! Festivities exploded within a ten foot diameter outside and inside the hotel entrance.

The wedding party had their own cameramen and photographers covering every angle of the event--it's definitely a modern twist to great-grandma's wedding celebration!

Bride and Groom pose for the cameras as their red convertible getaway car sets into position.

The couple moved their party inside the hotel's banquet halls, thus ending my media coverage =P

I've got weddings on the brain this week, and that's mainly because my friends Annie and Sam are getting married this weekend! I don't know if 10/24 is an auspicious day on the lunar calendar, but I know that there will be much rejoicing as man and wife enter into one of the most beautiful covenants that symbolizes our Father's sacrificial love for us. Cheers and much joy, Annie and Sam! :)

Happy (September and) October Holidays in China!

In one short month, we've celebrated three Chinese holidays, and CQUPT certainly pulls out all the bells and whistles!

September 10 is national Teachers Day, and all the teachers were invited to a special lunch with the university president at the school's banquet hall/hotel. Since we didn't get a digital copy, here's a picture of a picture of CQUPT College of Foreign Language teachers and the president (my team is on the top row, first five from the left, and the middle row, fourth and fifth from the left) :)

The president and the FAO gave each of us a box of yummy moon cake and a big box of American grapes. I didn't take a picture of the box of grapes, but it sure felt ironic being an American in China eating grapes shipped from America =P

This year, China's National Holiday/60th anniversary and the Mid-Autumn Festival were just two days apart, so like what happens to people born near Christmas, the two were celebrated together :)

The president spoke at a special banquet, which was complete with patriotic performances, poems, and salutes to alumni who taught at CQUPT in 1949.

During training in Beijing, we learned about customs at Chinese banquets...one of which was asking guests to perform, sometimes spontaneously, during the banquet. My teammate Amy was fortunately given a few days notice to prepare a song, and she did an amazing job.

Almost overnight, trees were lined with lights, red lanterns were hung, and potted flowers were planted around campus. It takes an aerial view to see CQUPT's tribute to China's 60th anniversary.

On a chilly night looking down at campus lit with twinkle lights, I felt a ping of nostalgia for Christmases at home in Texas...

Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications

As mentioned in my second newsletter, CQUPT (重庆邮电大学) sits on Nan Shan, where the JiaLing River joins the Yangtze River. Join me for a tour of our beautiful campus!

Getting from the main gate to the foreign teachers' apartments is about a 15-20 minute uphill walk. Riding the campus shuttle takes you through a 5-10 minute maze around campus. Motorists beware!

The indoor gym where the university's sports teams and IM teams practice. A hip-hop aerobics class also meets here in the afternoons, and I must say I enjoy some Beyonce and Justin Timberlake blasting on the sound system during my walk back from class

The Foreign Affairs Office at CQUPT was the other half of the hiring process that brought me here as a teacher. Our friends at the FAO not only take care of us as foreigners, but work with us as teachers.

Did you notice a set of stairs by the FAO? Here's a closer look at what we teachers have affectionately named The Stairs of Doom (that's 6 sets X 20 steps each = 120 steps to the base of our apartment building--legs of steel my friends!):

A few teaching buildings as viewed from my apartment. Does the camera view seem high? That's because I'm on the 10th floor, which is actually the 5th floor (but was described by the FAO as the 4th floor). As you can imagine, we were very confused when we first moved in =P

Some of the student dorms by our apartments that overlook the stadium:

I'm told a few boys' dorms are up here...

This semester, I am teaching Pronunciation and Reading & Writing to about 100 freshmen students. All of my classes are on the fourth and fifth floors in Building 2:

Just behind our building, we are reminded of the pastoral beauty of the CQUPT mountain-top campus:

Tents were set up around campus during freshmen orientation. At a solid 5'6", I've never been so close to bonking my head on a tent than here on this campus =P

Just outside the main gate is a street market where we can get fresh produce, meats, and most knick-knacks. During this time around 6:30am, vendors just start to set up for the day.

All CQUPT teachers and staff live on campus, which gives the university a warm community feel. Grandparents stroll with their grandkids in the afternoon, and in the morning and at dusk, groups of grannies gather for some organized exercise routines outside the main gate:

When I stand on a silent rooftop and survey the landscape available to my human eyes, I wonder what small glimpse of His Glory my Creator has allowed me to partake. My, how we are blessed.

Posting catch-up: Part IV

Climbing the Great Wall of China

No one ever told me that I needed to climb to the Great Wall in order to climb the Great Wall...

Over 1,000 steps later, the sting in my quads reasoned that any invaders able to make their way to the base of the wall itself (which is only about 20 feet tall in some areas) justly earned passage into that territory. Our group after having accomplished this feat:

Its path extends for miles, and the climb was often unsteady, but no other wall can match the wonder as seen from the Great Wall of China.

The morning was hot, and the only breeze we enjoyed swept in from the windows of the Wall's watch towers. I look out--through the thin layer of Beijing smog--and wonder how many Chinese families were affected by this great wall. Did my ancestors help cement the now-weathered bricks I stepped on? How many sons never returned home from their labor? Though this ancient, long fortress never really did a great job keeping out invaders, I'd like to think that millions of Chinese workers did not work in vain.

Many crevices and stones bear man's blood and sweat, but the culmination of his labor remains a marvel to the world centuries later and for centuries to come. I wonder what those men would say if they could see what their work had accomplished: some may respond in indignation, and some with excitement, but I suppose that some may also respond as speechless as I--honored to have taken part in China's rich and extensive legacy.

Posting catch-up: Part III

Gu Gong - The Forbidden City

My reflection as written for our Asian Culture and Communication course:

The Forbidden City: From the Eyes of an Outsider

My visit to Gu Gong was much like what I had imagined: ancient imperial opulence enshrined in time. The grandeur of Chinese dynastic architecture seemed unchanged for centuries; I gazed upon the handcrafted details at every turn—the work of a million Chinese workers—and wondered how much more majestic the palace must have been when the Emperors of old called it home. But on a humid August afternoon in the 21st century, no heavenly mandate entitled me to walk the path of the Emperors—it just took 60 yuan.

A Chinese friend joined me on the exploration, and to see the City through her eyes was to witness a privileged experience for the everyday citizen. "Only the Emperor could wear that color," she told me, pointing to the vibrant golden rooftops of Gu Gong. As we passed through the main entrance, she encouraged me to touch the worn knobs on the massive gate, as every Chinese person ahead of me had done—something only the Emperor was able to do as well. The imperial walkway, ceremonial rooms, and countless other elements of exclusivity and prestige permeated the massive compound, which now bustles with thousands of camera-wielding tourists who scramble in front of eight by ten openings for a keepsake photograph.

Further inside, a three-year-old freely climbs a statue of a stork I imagine the imperial sculptor intended for another purpose. Flyers forced into the hands of slow-responding tourists outside the gate now litter the grounds inside. A woman in tight faux-leather pants slams her half-frozen water bottle against the aged wall of the City a few times in an attempt to dislodge a few chunks of water for her drinking pleasure. I can imagine 24 Emperors turning in their graves at the desecration I've witnessed, but I remember that the far greater end is the fact that the imperial barrier is now clearly non-existent.

Perhaps the overwhelming gap between ruler and subject manifests itself now, centuries later, in utter disregard. Or perhaps, in true pragmatism, convenience oversteps reverence for empires past. But I find these theories fall short when I catch the look of awe as my new friend gazes from building to building, even on her third visit to Gu Gong. She tells me about each room we encounter, explaining its significance and sharing the stories and legends she learned growing up. From the building where the Emperor made his policies to the residential room where the Imperial court watched opera for leisure, my friend spoke as if she could have been a tour guide based solely on her pre-existing knowledge. Though the Qing dynasty had long passed before she was even born, she shared as if she had been a part of it, and as a Chinese person, in a way, she had.

And as she shares with me the wonders of the Forbidden City, she also continually asks me, "What do you think?" If I did not verbalize my own sense of awe at a particular sight, she would ask for my thoughts. Gu Gong is not just a historical imperial palace once forbidden to non-royals, but it was and is a symbol of China's glory. Now prefaced with the mighty Tian an men gate of the PRC, adorned with the same imperial roofing, the City itself stands for much more than a centuries-old empire, but for a strong and existing empire today—one calling for similar awe and respect.

My Chinese friend asks me as an American what I think of what I see, and I tell her with a smile that what I see is beautiful.

Posting catch-up: Part II

Olympic Park

When an event gets its own subway line, you know it's a big deal. The 2008 Beijing Olympics lives on even at the turn of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, as its famous venues become an added entry on tourists' must-see list. Don't get me wrong: the water cube and national stadium are sights to behold with or without Olympic athletes, and visitors like me arrive by droves--even at 9 p.m. on a weeknight--to experience what has become a part of China's history.

Like many areas with open spaces, Olympic Park is no stranger to the sound of cymbals and drums thumping at a rhythmic beat. A night parade? Nope. A special occasion? Nope. Just your run-of-the-mill organized exercise routine for the over 60 crowd =P Go grandmas! (plus the one grandpa, but we think he was just filling in for his wife that night) :)

Kite salesmen are still going strong, and what amazed me the most was how high those kites were flying on a Beijing summer night.

Speaking of flying, what visit to the bird's nest is complete without a picture of one jumping in front of said athletic venue?

On 8/8/09, Beijing celebrated the one year anniversary of the Beijing Olympics. The televised special, themed "Like A Dream," didn't hold out on the glitz and glamour, but featured star- and adorable-children-studded choreographed musical performances, honored guests, and plenty of highlights from the 2008 Games. I don't know how much of this was seen in the States or elsewhere, but in China, 1.3 billion people remember the Beijing Olympics as they would a pleasant dream--as if they had just dreamt it the night before.