Tomorrow morning I leave for a 10 day tour through Tibet. I'll fly into Lhasa, travel westward across the Tibetan Plateau to Mt. Everest before crossing into Nepal, from where I will return home out of Kathmandu. If the altitude sickness doesn't get me, maybe the cumulative 24+ hours I'm going to spend in a jeep will, but none of that matters if the scenery is what I'm hoping for. So tomorrow I fly to Lhasa, and you know what they say about flying into Lhasa? It's the only airport in the world where you fly up to land.
My students have had very mixed reactions when I say I'm going to Tibet. Some of them become jealous and excited, wanting to travel there themselves. Most remain quiet, reactionless, either unsure of where I'm going (in Chinese it's called XiZang), or tellingly silent about their concerns, which are vocalized by the final group. These students are concerned, telling me to be safe, warning me that people might try to shoot me. At first I was baffled, thinking there isn't much crime in Tibet. But then I realized they meant the protesters and the riots which happened last spring. In the interest of diplomacy I didn't tell them I'm more worried about the Chinese Government than the Buddist monks, that one of the most dangerous thing I could do would be to take a simple picture of a protester - and this on a trip where I'll be passing through the worlds largest mountains. So I simply thanked the students for their cares and advice, assuring them that I wasn't worried about the Tibetan people, displaying a cavalier confidence my students evidently didn't match.
More concerned about the weather than either the natives or the authorities, I'll be flying a little further than I would on a flight from Boston to Denver, and into a province three times the size of Texas. It's the heart of the Himalayas, so I plan find out just how these mountains stack up to this world's other mountain ranges. What better place to do that than from the monastery at Everest Base Camp where I will be staying for a night. My bags (and camera) are packed, I'm ready to go and I'm so excited.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
What's 700 billion among friends?
If you think the US stock market has taken a hit... just take a look at China's; now this is a 'house of cards' economy. Down about 50% from last year, the Chinese stock market has not been kind to its investors, but just as many Americans are unsure of how and why we got into this economic crises, most Chinese people are even more bewildered.
China, claiming only a partial capitalist economy, isn't the best place to learn about all investment options we're used to in the west. Most of my students understand that something bad is happening with the world economy, and somehow America is to blame, but without knowing the specifics of why or how.
This isn't to say my students aren't effected, because they are. It's easy to tell which students have money in the stock market these days - they're usually the well dressed, sad looking men with the glazed look in their eyes. I had a student last week, when we were doing a lesson on cause and effect say (in dead seriousness), "I lost 700,000RMB ($100,000) this month as a result of the stock market going down." I was thrilled (because he used the correct grammar), but horrified because that's more money than I'd make here in 5 years! My students understand that this effects them, even if explaining what a sub-prime mortgage is would take half a days work.
But they understand 'the government is giving money'. I don't know how they feel about this, because they always say it with a smile, as if it were a good thing. They might be thinking that the US government will finally ride in on a white horse to save the world economy, or then again they might be thinking that this just proves that our unbridled laissez faire economics are a failure, and that China's pseudo-capitalism is better. Whichever it is, I can almost assure you that most are more worried about how this effects them individually, rather than the economic fall out throughout China, let alone the rest of the world.
Not being an economic super-strategist (I'm an English teacher for crying out loud!), I can't say I have a full grasp on the entirety of the situation. I can make my fair share of speculations, most of them ill-informed to simply wrong. So for now, I guess I can just be happy that all the money I lost this month in China was at the travel agent.
China, claiming only a partial capitalist economy, isn't the best place to learn about all investment options we're used to in the west. Most of my students understand that something bad is happening with the world economy, and somehow America is to blame, but without knowing the specifics of why or how.
This isn't to say my students aren't effected, because they are. It's easy to tell which students have money in the stock market these days - they're usually the well dressed, sad looking men with the glazed look in their eyes. I had a student last week, when we were doing a lesson on cause and effect say (in dead seriousness), "I lost 700,000RMB ($100,000) this month as a result of the stock market going down." I was thrilled (because he used the correct grammar), but horrified because that's more money than I'd make here in 5 years! My students understand that this effects them, even if explaining what a sub-prime mortgage is would take half a days work.
But they understand 'the government is giving money'. I don't know how they feel about this, because they always say it with a smile, as if it were a good thing. They might be thinking that the US government will finally ride in on a white horse to save the world economy, or then again they might be thinking that this just proves that our unbridled laissez faire economics are a failure, and that China's pseudo-capitalism is better. Whichever it is, I can almost assure you that most are more worried about how this effects them individually, rather than the economic fall out throughout China, let alone the rest of the world.
Not being an economic super-strategist (I'm an English teacher for crying out loud!), I can't say I have a full grasp on the entirety of the situation. I can make my fair share of speculations, most of them ill-informed to simply wrong. So for now, I guess I can just be happy that all the money I lost this month in China was at the travel agent.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Cool Fuzz
Goose-stepping goons, eager to haul prisoners off to bottomless dungeons, is what i usually think of when I think of Chinese Police. Of course this idea isn't helped by my knowledge of China's last 50 years of history and knowing that the Chinese police force, like many around the world, doesn't draw on the best and the brightest, but more of a brotherhood of would be thugs who turned better, but maybe not so far as good. This notion is one I try very hard to dissuade, because I've had nothing but (a limited) number of positive interactions with these men and women in blue.
One night, after the 'Roller Disco' - a night of roller skating, dancing, socializing and an open bar (all for about 20 bucks), we found ourselves out late further on the outskirts of the city than we normally do and a little more short on cash than we'd normally like. We weren't in a bad part of the city, far from it, but after an exhausting night of fun, we were a little wary of trekking around to find a 24 hour ATM to stock up on cash before our taxi ride home. We decided to ask the cops outside the disco where the nearest ATM was, and to our surprise they told us to hop in the back of the cab and we'd take them there. So, there I was with my two fellow discoers, riding in the back of a Shanghai cop car, being driven to an ATM by two really friendly police officers. The cynic out there might say they wanted to take us somewhere far from the city and shake us down for money, but that wasn't the case. They dropped us off at the ATM and only left once we'd returned outside and thanked them and had flagged a taxi. I can't imagine an officer in the US being so kind to some foreigners leaving a club.
So I try to be positive about the Chinese police. The most annoying thing I've noticed is that they always ride around with their lights flashing, always! Occasionally I'll hear about a foreigner who was assaulted by an off duty cop, then forced to pay reparations, and students will sometimes mention that the cops are not to be trusted, but my few experiences have been much more positive than others it seems. Life is certainly more relaxed when you can believe the police are on your side.
One night, after the 'Roller Disco' - a night of roller skating, dancing, socializing and an open bar (all for about 20 bucks), we found ourselves out late further on the outskirts of the city than we normally do and a little more short on cash than we'd normally like. We weren't in a bad part of the city, far from it, but after an exhausting night of fun, we were a little wary of trekking around to find a 24 hour ATM to stock up on cash before our taxi ride home. We decided to ask the cops outside the disco where the nearest ATM was, and to our surprise they told us to hop in the back of the cab and we'd take them there. So, there I was with my two fellow discoers, riding in the back of a Shanghai cop car, being driven to an ATM by two really friendly police officers. The cynic out there might say they wanted to take us somewhere far from the city and shake us down for money, but that wasn't the case. They dropped us off at the ATM and only left once we'd returned outside and thanked them and had flagged a taxi. I can't imagine an officer in the US being so kind to some foreigners leaving a club.
So I try to be positive about the Chinese police. The most annoying thing I've noticed is that they always ride around with their lights flashing, always! Occasionally I'll hear about a foreigner who was assaulted by an off duty cop, then forced to pay reparations, and students will sometimes mention that the cops are not to be trusted, but my few experiences have been much more positive than others it seems. Life is certainly more relaxed when you can believe the police are on your side.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Children in the Forest of Knees
Perhaps due to the tight-knit family units, or perhaps due to their claim on a fifth of the world's population, I see lots of children of divers ages here in Shanghai. Unlike my 4 years at BC, where the sight of children was both shocking and exciting, I've found China to be full of the lil' folk. They stumble about with their mother's and nannies (aiees) through the shops and subways, getting in everyone's way - which is the same as every Chinese person, so the kids here must learn quick! In fact, the kids here are so good at getting in other people's way that they wont even acknowledge that they do!
Too many times I've been walking along, minding my surroundings (not on subway attack mode) when a child will blindly stumble from behind is parents into my path. These children, as all children are, are unpredictable, so I'll stop and stand patiently while the little tike decides which way he wants to walk around me. What's surprising is watching the child's thought process as he tries to reunite with his parents.
He will never look up; he will never make eye contact or acknowledge me as a human being. I am a pair of legs, which usually must be touched on the knee for a short but noticeable second long examination. After a the short review, and after the child has determined I am not his mother, father or aiee, the child begins to look around and through my legs, searching for his caretakers. Being only 2 seconds beyond him, and no doubt waiting for him to stop messing around with the goofy looking foreigner, his parents are soon spotted and the family is reunited.
This isn't the reaction I'm used to, nor was this the reaction I received from children in Hong Kong, who were more likely to look up surprised, sheepish and curious, as western children are known to do. The children of China are different though, somehow either more sure of themselves or less curious about others. I don't think I'll ever know what to make of it.
The last bit about children, that didn't strike me until I landed in Hong Kong is... that there is only ever one. Sure you see teenagers roaming together and collegiate types storming the malls, but parents with families of two are nearly invisible. They're there, the one child rule doesn't effect nearly 1/4 of the Chinese population, but they're mostly the rural minorities out in the countryside. Here in Shanghai we take it one child at a time - one child very uninterested in whose legs he just crashed into.
Too many times I've been walking along, minding my surroundings (not on subway attack mode) when a child will blindly stumble from behind is parents into my path. These children, as all children are, are unpredictable, so I'll stop and stand patiently while the little tike decides which way he wants to walk around me. What's surprising is watching the child's thought process as he tries to reunite with his parents.
He will never look up; he will never make eye contact or acknowledge me as a human being. I am a pair of legs, which usually must be touched on the knee for a short but noticeable second long examination. After a the short review, and after the child has determined I am not his mother, father or aiee, the child begins to look around and through my legs, searching for his caretakers. Being only 2 seconds beyond him, and no doubt waiting for him to stop messing around with the goofy looking foreigner, his parents are soon spotted and the family is reunited.
This isn't the reaction I'm used to, nor was this the reaction I received from children in Hong Kong, who were more likely to look up surprised, sheepish and curious, as western children are known to do. The children of China are different though, somehow either more sure of themselves or less curious about others. I don't think I'll ever know what to make of it.
The last bit about children, that didn't strike me until I landed in Hong Kong is... that there is only ever one. Sure you see teenagers roaming together and collegiate types storming the malls, but parents with families of two are nearly invisible. They're there, the one child rule doesn't effect nearly 1/4 of the Chinese population, but they're mostly the rural minorities out in the countryside. Here in Shanghai we take it one child at a time - one child very uninterested in whose legs he just crashed into.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Mecca... for shopping... for women
Far and away the most common question I received when I told people last week I was heading to Hong Kong was, "Are you going to go shopping?" Well, seeing as I was traveling with a little lady, there most certainly was shopping time budgeted, even if I was pretty sure I wouldn't be doing much of the shopping. Hong Kong may be a little island of western products amid the sea of Chinese imitations, but the real stars of Hong Kong (the things cheaper than on the mainland) are the cosmetics, shoes and electronics - two of which I had zero interest in, and I lacked the cash for the third. 
In the end we 'budgeted' our third and final day for shopping - a whole day just for shopping would seem like enough! Yet once we factored meals, our flight time, sleeping in after two exhausting days and a quick 20 minutes spent viewing sky scrappers, our shopping time was reduced to a matter of hours, much to the chagrin of my girlfriend.
We trekked uptown in Kowloon to find what is apparently 'the market' for shopping, bypassing two or three other street markets (which admittedly didn't look as good). It was about two solid blocks of shops lining the streets with another row of shops actually sitting in the street the entire way. They 
sold most any knickknack you could imagine they'd sell - shoes, bags, clothing, pots 'n' pans, children's toys, ipod covers, and kitchen mops.
sold most any knickknack you could imagine they'd sell - shoes, bags, clothing, pots 'n' pans, children's toys, ipod covers, and kitchen mops.In the end we bought a little of everything, just because that's what you do in Hong Kong. We made sure to buy our skincare products there, because everything in the mainland is chock full of whitening agents (it's rumored the Chinese first thought Casper was a deity... just kidding). Us westerners prefer the tanned look, so to be safe we need to buy everything we put on our faces outside of Chinese China. But even with our shopping bonanza of an afternoon, I still don't get credit for leaving enough time for shopping.
Where there is money, there is shopping; and in Hong Kong there's both.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Into the Wild
Though Hong Kong has a skyline and harbor (3rd busiest in the world) to compete with anywhere, what sets it apart for me is that nature creeps right up to its doorstep. Towering above every sky scrapper was a mountain of unbroken greenery. It's impressive enough that over 70% percent of Hong Kong to be wilderness, but it's another thing altogether when you realize that so much of it is accessible for hiking, picnicking and relaxing. In my three days there I managed to stumble out into it twice, a pretty good average considering I've seen 'nature' once in the 9 months I've lived in Shanghai. I'd say its just a day trip away, but it isn't even that far.
Our first day we took a 30 minute ferry ride (worth it for the view of the skyline alone) to Lamma Island, a small fishing island on the backside of the main harbor. Costing $4 round trip, I can't imagine a cheaper escape
anywhere in America. We arrived at a small village on one side of the island, resembling the type you'd find on Martha's Vineyard or any other small vacation island, complete with funky little shops and oceanfront restaurants. After walking through this little town, we abandoned our plan to trek the 90 minutes or so through the jungle to the other village, instead choosing to walk the 15 or so minutes to a nearby beach, soaking our feet in the warm tropical water, and basking in the warmth of the sun as it set behind the power plant at the far end of the island (I never said Hong Kong was perfect). Given the price, the journey, and the absolute feeling of being outside of a city, I'd recommend anyone who ever visits Hong Kong take a day trip here - or even an afternoon trip.
The next morning we signed up for one of the Hong Kong Tourist Bureau guided tours - a 5 hour jaunt into the New Territories towards the Chinese boarder. For many visitors the highlight is seeing the Chinese boarder, while they wonder what rights they would be sacrificing if they crossed it. For two old, China-hands, we knowingly yawned and tried not to fall asleep in the middle of our 2nd exhausting day of touring. We had gone as far away from the city of Hong Kong as we could, and were beginning to gaze upon Shenzen, the boarder city of China when we were treated to the most inspiring bit of nature I saw all weekend.
The tour led us to a steep, green tropical valley, stopping along one of the many scenic parks in the back country of Hong Kong. The sight was called Bridal Falls and was home to a small, but very pretty waterfall. The water was trickling it's way down the valley to the giant reservoir basin at the bottom, scenic as any small waterfall I'd seen in Yellowstone. Little, natural, tropical waterfalls exist in Hong Kong.
Our first day we took a 30 minute ferry ride (worth it for the view of the skyline alone) to Lamma Island, a small fishing island on the backside of the main harbor. Costing $4 round trip, I can't imagine a cheaper escape
anywhere in America. We arrived at a small village on one side of the island, resembling the type you'd find on Martha's Vineyard or any other small vacation island, complete with funky little shops and oceanfront restaurants. After walking through this little town, we abandoned our plan to trek the 90 minutes or so through the jungle to the other village, instead choosing to walk the 15 or so minutes to a nearby beach, soaking our feet in the warm tropical water, and basking in the warmth of the sun as it set behind the power plant at the far end of the island (I never said Hong Kong was perfect). Given the price, the journey, and the absolute feeling of being outside of a city, I'd recommend anyone who ever visits Hong Kong take a day trip here - or even an afternoon trip.The next morning we signed up for one of the Hong Kong Tourist Bureau guided tours - a 5 hour jaunt into the New Territories towards the Chinese boarder. For many visitors the highlight is seeing the Chinese boarder, while they wonder what rights they would be sacrificing if they crossed it. For two old, China-hands, we knowingly yawned and tried not to fall asleep in the middle of our 2nd exhausting day of touring. We had gone as far away from the city of Hong Kong as we could, and were beginning to gaze upon Shenzen, the boarder city of China when we were treated to the most inspiring bit of nature I saw all weekend.
The tour led us to a steep, green tropical valley, stopping along one of the many scenic parks in the back country of Hong Kong. The sight was called Bridal Falls and was home to a small, but very pretty waterfall. The water was trickling it's way down the valley to the giant reservoir basin at the bottom, scenic as any small waterfall I'd seen in Yellowstone. Little, natural, tropical waterfalls exist in Hong Kong.Proximity to nature isn't something I've ever come to expect from cities. Maybe my friends in Portland or Seattle might have a different take on things, but for a city of its size (Hong Kong is home to more people than Massachusetts) having such unspoiled natural wonders so close is a wonder to me. I don't know if its suitable for whitewater kayaking or overnight mountain backpacking, but I can't help but appreciate a city, especially a city in China now, which takes such good care of its environment.
Its a vertical thing
The best way to describe the architecture in Hong Kong is to say this: The longer you look at it, the better it becomes. Hong Kong has so many wonderful buildings, the tend to get lost among one another, with only a few standing out bold (or high) enough to make you notice them. In fact they are building the worlds soon to be 3rd tallest building in the world, but it won't even make a dent on the skyline because its across the harbor in Kowloon. More so than any other city on earth, this is an architecture lover's dream. 
We were lucky enough to take a ferry out of the city by daylight, only to return by night when the buildings were all the more stunning. During the day the buildings blend together, almost like Chinese people pushing in line to be viewed first. In daylight the tallest ones, IFC2 and the Bank of China building, stand out, but for the most part they all resemble one another, housing the millions of people who live there, or housing their offices. Then at night, the contrast between average and stupendous is set off, and the skyline reveals its true colors.
The buildings of the city work like a team, or perhaps a dance company to create such a stunning skyline. There are the superstars, the buildings stretching taller, with more lights and more elaborate edifices. There are the primadonnas, nothing special except for the intense neon signs affixed to their roof, drawing your
eye and proclaiming the buildings existence. But what makes the skyline, like any skyline, are the role-players, the buildings who create the bulk and mass of structure, shortening the space between water and clouds.
eye and proclaiming the buildings existence. But what makes the skyline, like any skyline, are the role-players, the buildings who create the bulk and mass of structure, shortening the space between water and clouds.New York's skyline might be more impressive for sheer bulk, and Shanghai's has more tall buildings, but as a unit, for both modernity, fullness and sheer beauty, I'm beginning to think Hong Kong has stolen my heart. While I can post a few simple pictures, it simply cannot do justice to the feeling of sailing past these buildings at night on a boat in one of the worlds busiest harbors.
In Defense of Shanghai
After telling Adrienne that I had written a terribly one sided blog about how much better Hong Kong is than Shanghai, she insisted that I wasn't being fair and needed to point out the benefits of Shanghai. She made some good points, so as an addendum, I would like to state the argument for Shanghai.
1. It's more exotic. Shanghai isn't western. It might want to be; it might feel more like it than the middle of Sichuan Provence, but at its sole its totally foreign to anyone coming from America. When I came to China I wanted to be somewhere different, and this place definitely is. Hong Kong was filled with Body Shops, Outback Steak Houses and even 7-11s (complete with Slurpee machines), whereas the occasional Subway or Burger King is as western as Shanghai gets (although an Applebee's just opened last month apparently). While Hong Kong is a magnificent city, its too western for a person searching for another world.
2. Shanghai is cheaper; the entire mainland is. Even though for the first time in history the RMB surpassed the HK$ in value two months ago, China is still way cheaper. The entirety of our 3 day weekend to Hong Kong cost about as much as a 10 day trip to Beijing. I can eat delicious food here until I'm so stuffed it hurts for about a bunch and a half, but in Hong Kong it would cost about 5 dollars to be content, far from belly-busting full.
3. Rooms are normal sized in Shanghai, unlike Hong Kong where its considered a luxury if you can't touch both walls of your apartment at the same time. Seriously, property is so scarce in Hong Kong that most families live in apartments smaller than the two SUV's many American families own, yet still pay more for it than the average American home. Both cities have thier fair share of old run down buildings, but in Shanghai you can walk around the bed in one.
There you have it, the three best reasons to choose Shanghai over Hong Kong. Well, those and that EF doesn't employee teachers in Hong Kong, so I didn't really have a choice. Both are dynamic, exciting and growing cities - the twin business giants of China someday to be vying for the top economic spot in the country. Someday. But for now the economic clout, and just like most other comparisons, favors Hong Kong.
1. It's more exotic. Shanghai isn't western. It might want to be; it might feel more like it than the middle of Sichuan Provence, but at its sole its totally foreign to anyone coming from America. When I came to China I wanted to be somewhere different, and this place definitely is. Hong Kong was filled with Body Shops, Outback Steak Houses and even 7-11s (complete with Slurpee machines), whereas the occasional Subway or Burger King is as western as Shanghai gets (although an Applebee's just opened last month apparently). While Hong Kong is a magnificent city, its too western for a person searching for another world.
2. Shanghai is cheaper; the entire mainland is. Even though for the first time in history the RMB surpassed the HK$ in value two months ago, China is still way cheaper. The entirety of our 3 day weekend to Hong Kong cost about as much as a 10 day trip to Beijing. I can eat delicious food here until I'm so stuffed it hurts for about a bunch and a half, but in Hong Kong it would cost about 5 dollars to be content, far from belly-busting full.
3. Rooms are normal sized in Shanghai, unlike Hong Kong where its considered a luxury if you can't touch both walls of your apartment at the same time. Seriously, property is so scarce in Hong Kong that most families live in apartments smaller than the two SUV's many American families own, yet still pay more for it than the average American home. Both cities have thier fair share of old run down buildings, but in Shanghai you can walk around the bed in one.
There you have it, the three best reasons to choose Shanghai over Hong Kong. Well, those and that EF doesn't employee teachers in Hong Kong, so I didn't really have a choice. Both are dynamic, exciting and growing cities - the twin business giants of China someday to be vying for the top economic spot in the country. Someday. But for now the economic clout, and just like most other comparisons, favors Hong Kong.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The Throwdown
At the end of our first day in Hong Kong, my girlfriend Adrienne asked me, "So which would you rather live in, Hong Kong or Shanghai?" Saddly, I didn't even have to think about it - "Hong Kong".
The amazing thing about Hong Kong, which despite being 2/5 the size of Shanghai, is that it feels bussier, while remaning cleaner and more civil. There isn't garbage on the streets; there just isn't. It doesn't smell; garbage bins don't overflow with stench next to the road. There might be tall towers every where, but sunlight (real sunlight!) reaches the ground between them instead of being filtered by smog. It looks like a movie set - I occasionally expected to walk around the corner and discover that the building in front of me had actually been a facade; that the street wasn't 'really' a street and that I'd really just wandered onto film shoot.
But that's not the only reason I'd prefer Hong Kong, its party because the location oozes natural beauty. The mountains, the ocean, the foliage all work together to form a location that, had there not been a major world metropolis there, would have made a perfect location to shoot Pirates of the Caribbean. Yet the city being there doesn't completely destroy or mask its natural beauty; a short ferry ride or bus trip lets you out on tropical beaches or river valleys. Unlike most cities where nature is a destination, in Hong Kong it's simply a district of the city.
The urban districts of Hong Kong do have their splendor too. Unlike Shanghai's collection of space-craft-on-building sky scrappers, the skyline of Hong Kong, superior to every city aside from New York, is lined with admirable architecture, new and hip, creative yet functional. At night the buildings dot the night sky, standing on the water's edge, guarding the passage up Victoria Peak. If ever there was a city to be proud of its buildings, it would be Hong Kong.
In the end, however, it might just be the people. They act with respect not just for the space they inhabit, but also the people who inhabit it with them. I had been looking forward to riding the subway in Hong Kong for quite some time, not because it's so fast, clean and efficient, which it is, but because I was looking forward to exciting the trains without needing to shove my way through a stack of people. You see, in Hong Kong people patiently wait beside the doors for people to exit before boarding the subway; its a tradition unheard of on the mainland. Stepping into Hong Kong after 9 months in Shanghai is like coming back from a camping trip and simply enjoying the simple comforts that make life easy.
It seems both fitting and unfair to compare the two cities. Hong Kong, whose rich and international history was preserved by the British for the past 100 years, has much more international feel than Shanghai, a city closed off to foreigners for nearly half of that time period. Hong Kong feels like the world class city Shanghai wants to be, with people from all over the world coming to enjoy themselves and admire the city. Someday, after Shanghai has a little time to catch up economically, developmentally and emotionally we can have a closer comparison of the two cities, but for now... its Hong Kong in a romp.
The amazing thing about Hong Kong, which despite being 2/5 the size of Shanghai, is that it feels bussier, while remaning cleaner and more civil. There isn't garbage on the streets; there just isn't. It doesn't smell; garbage bins don't overflow with stench next to the road. There might be tall towers every where, but sunlight (real sunlight!) reaches the ground between them instead of being filtered by smog. It looks like a movie set - I occasionally expected to walk around the corner and discover that the building in front of me had actually been a facade; that the street wasn't 'really' a street and that I'd really just wandered onto film shoot.
But that's not the only reason I'd prefer Hong Kong, its party because the location oozes natural beauty. The mountains, the ocean, the foliage all work together to form a location that, had there not been a major world metropolis there, would have made a perfect location to shoot Pirates of the Caribbean. Yet the city being there doesn't completely destroy or mask its natural beauty; a short ferry ride or bus trip lets you out on tropical beaches or river valleys. Unlike most cities where nature is a destination, in Hong Kong it's simply a district of the city.
The urban districts of Hong Kong do have their splendor too. Unlike Shanghai's collection of space-craft-on-building sky scrappers, the skyline of Hong Kong, superior to every city aside from New York, is lined with admirable architecture, new and hip, creative yet functional. At night the buildings dot the night sky, standing on the water's edge, guarding the passage up Victoria Peak. If ever there was a city to be proud of its buildings, it would be Hong Kong.
In the end, however, it might just be the people. They act with respect not just for the space they inhabit, but also the people who inhabit it with them. I had been looking forward to riding the subway in Hong Kong for quite some time, not because it's so fast, clean and efficient, which it is, but because I was looking forward to exciting the trains without needing to shove my way through a stack of people. You see, in Hong Kong people patiently wait beside the doors for people to exit before boarding the subway; its a tradition unheard of on the mainland. Stepping into Hong Kong after 9 months in Shanghai is like coming back from a camping trip and simply enjoying the simple comforts that make life easy.
It seems both fitting and unfair to compare the two cities. Hong Kong, whose rich and international history was preserved by the British for the past 100 years, has much more international feel than Shanghai, a city closed off to foreigners for nearly half of that time period. Hong Kong feels like the world class city Shanghai wants to be, with people from all over the world coming to enjoy themselves and admire the city. Someday, after Shanghai has a little time to catch up economically, developmentally and emotionally we can have a closer comparison of the two cities, but for now... its Hong Kong in a romp.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Fragarant Harbor
China celebrated its equivalent of Labor Day this past weekend: the Mid-Autumn Festival. I didn't completely understand how the 'mid'-autumn festival marked the start of autumn, but I wasn't one to ever question a three day weekend. I'm more the type to hope a plane to Hong Kong for 3 non-stop days of out of this world (or out of this developing world) adventure.
I just want to start by saying that I'm in love with Hong Kong. I'm in love because it is a world class city, teaming with the nuances of life; because it has great buildings, but also has great wilderness, because it is clean and civilized - because it makes sense.
In all my travels, I don't think I've ever seen a city with such breathtaking contrasts. The ocean is gobbled up by city, which sweeps up green slopes to peaks high above. Outfitted with water, mountains and green life, its no wonder people concerned with Fung Shui decided to build a city here.
Hong Kong isn't just one city, it is really a series of islands and peninsulas, separated by mountains and water from each other. In fact, over 70% of Hong Kong's land is still wilderness, and even more of its footprint is the ocean. Those green hills that divide the villages of 50 story high rises seem like pure wilderness, but they're not. Hong Kong has developed an intricate systems of parks for itself, allowing its inhabitants to escape the pressure of city life amid beaches, streams and natural greenery.
Having seemingly survived the handover back to the mainland with no real ill effects, its easy to understand why China has done so little to change it. Why would they want to?
I just want to start by saying that I'm in love with Hong Kong. I'm in love because it is a world class city, teaming with the nuances of life; because it has great buildings, but also has great wilderness, because it is clean and civilized - because it makes sense.
In all my travels, I don't think I've ever seen a city with such breathtaking contrasts. The ocean is gobbled up by city, which sweeps up green slopes to peaks high above. Outfitted with water, mountains and green life, its no wonder people concerned with Fung Shui decided to build a city here.
Hong Kong isn't just one city, it is really a series of islands and peninsulas, separated by mountains and water from each other. In fact, over 70% of Hong Kong's land is still wilderness, and even more of its footprint is the ocean. Those green hills that divide the villages of 50 story high rises seem like pure wilderness, but they're not. Hong Kong has developed an intricate systems of parks for itself, allowing its inhabitants to escape the pressure of city life amid beaches, streams and natural greenery.
Having seemingly survived the handover back to the mainland with no real ill effects, its easy to understand why China has done so little to change it. Why would they want to?
Friday, September 12, 2008
Growing Up
Cultural behavior is formed in countless ways, that is to say, we can never fully understand the effect on the psyche of different stimuli. We cannot eliminate variables to run proper tests, which is why we speculate, guess and conjecture (hence the respected scientific status of Anthropology). I like to wonder about an often overlooked environmental influence; I wonder about how the view from your window effects your outlook on life.
I've heard from my friends who grew up in Montana that they could never live in a place without mountains. They claim they are reassuring, comforting. Friends who grew up by the sea claim the same thing. I can't help but wonder what growing up next to something so big, something which dwarfs all human beings equally and completely, does to a person's mind. While I doubt that it increases religious beliefs, I feel like it must impart the feeling that we are all just smaller pieces of a larger world, that there is something (society, humanity, a deity) bigger than ourselves. I have no proof, and I wouldn't dare speculate that people who spent their childhood surfing or hiking are better people, but I can't help but wonder if there is an effect.
Which is why I'm fascinated by how a young Chinese person is influenced by the scores of apartment buildings, one after another, fading into the horizon. Knowing that each window of each building is a family, I feel a person would certainly have an understanding of a bigger society, but is it the same reaction as a child of the sea? I fear that it would cause people to be less humane, showing no empathy for others because they are simply aware that there are too many to realistically show empathy for. Does the skyline create socially conscious and aware individuals, or does it create self-centered, greedy me-first types?
As it is the Chinese are not prone to these philosophical wonderings, so I struggle to locate answers when I ask direct questions, and the culture is still distant enough from me that personal investigations reveal all too little.
Not that I'm one to throw stones, I'll admit I've never considered the mental effects the suburbs make on impressionable youths. But gathering how positively the landscape has effected some of my friends, I can't help but wonder if the cityscapes of China have that same positive effect.
I've heard from my friends who grew up in Montana that they could never live in a place without mountains. They claim they are reassuring, comforting. Friends who grew up by the sea claim the same thing. I can't help but wonder what growing up next to something so big, something which dwarfs all human beings equally and completely, does to a person's mind. While I doubt that it increases religious beliefs, I feel like it must impart the feeling that we are all just smaller pieces of a larger world, that there is something (society, humanity, a deity) bigger than ourselves. I have no proof, and I wouldn't dare speculate that people who spent their childhood surfing or hiking are better people, but I can't help but wonder if there is an effect.
Which is why I'm fascinated by how a young Chinese person is influenced by the scores of apartment buildings, one after another, fading into the horizon. Knowing that each window of each building is a family, I feel a person would certainly have an understanding of a bigger society, but is it the same reaction as a child of the sea? I fear that it would cause people to be less humane, showing no empathy for others because they are simply aware that there are too many to realistically show empathy for. Does the skyline create socially conscious and aware individuals, or does it create self-centered, greedy me-first types?
As it is the Chinese are not prone to these philosophical wonderings, so I struggle to locate answers when I ask direct questions, and the culture is still distant enough from me that personal investigations reveal all too little.
Not that I'm one to throw stones, I'll admit I've never considered the mental effects the suburbs make on impressionable youths. But gathering how positively the landscape has effected some of my friends, I can't help but wonder if the cityscapes of China have that same positive effect.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Sweet Mother of Pearly Off Whites
Americans owe everyone in the UK a big apology - their teeth are really not that bad. The stereotypes of the snarl-toothed Brit are simply fictitious imaginations of bygone days. The reality of the matter is nobody has terrible teeth like the Chinese have terrible teeth.
When I broach the subject of 'dental insurance' with my students, they look at me quizzical wondering what it is. After explaining its like medical insurance but for your teeth, they shrug and say, 'oh, we don't have that'. Some students try to protest they don't have it because its covered under medical insurance, thus proving how superior Chinese health care is, grinning a proud smile which seems to be traveling in 8 different directions. There aren't really any dentists offices here, just hospitals where they'll have a look at your teeth. Plus, I don't think I've seen a kid with braces in 9 months.
I wonder how much pain my students can be in on a regular basis. It isn't uncommon for a students teeth to wander this way and that in their mouth. Others will have disturbing darkish spots above some teeth, which I can only imagine hurt like crazy, especially when twisting their mouths into odd shapes to pronounce English syllables. I had one girl in class yesterday with such a spot that, seemingly unprovoked, began to bleed in the middle of class. This isn't written to be disgusting, but to give a more accurate picture of the dire situation of teeth here.
I'm not saying that everyone has terrible teeth. Many of our students and all of my Chinese co-workers have exemplary teeth, cleaner, whiter and straighter than my own. They do, after all, have tooth paste here, though I dare not use it... if the tooth paste they export has poison I hate to think what the domestic products have in them. No, I brought a years supply of toothpaste with me when I came, deodorant too, but that's a different story.
I guess what I'm saying is, lay off England, alright? When I studied in London, one of my flatmates was studying to be a dentist, when I discovered that (A) dental care in England is quite good, and (B) the British have no idea we mock their teeth. So I ask you to redirect all of your bad-teeth stereotypes to China, because it might not be as bad as the other health problems China has been causing (SARS, Bird Flu), but I still don't want this epidemic to spread!
When I broach the subject of 'dental insurance' with my students, they look at me quizzical wondering what it is. After explaining its like medical insurance but for your teeth, they shrug and say, 'oh, we don't have that'. Some students try to protest they don't have it because its covered under medical insurance, thus proving how superior Chinese health care is, grinning a proud smile which seems to be traveling in 8 different directions. There aren't really any dentists offices here, just hospitals where they'll have a look at your teeth. Plus, I don't think I've seen a kid with braces in 9 months.
I wonder how much pain my students can be in on a regular basis. It isn't uncommon for a students teeth to wander this way and that in their mouth. Others will have disturbing darkish spots above some teeth, which I can only imagine hurt like crazy, especially when twisting their mouths into odd shapes to pronounce English syllables. I had one girl in class yesterday with such a spot that, seemingly unprovoked, began to bleed in the middle of class. This isn't written to be disgusting, but to give a more accurate picture of the dire situation of teeth here.
I'm not saying that everyone has terrible teeth. Many of our students and all of my Chinese co-workers have exemplary teeth, cleaner, whiter and straighter than my own. They do, after all, have tooth paste here, though I dare not use it... if the tooth paste they export has poison I hate to think what the domestic products have in them. No, I brought a years supply of toothpaste with me when I came, deodorant too, but that's a different story.
I guess what I'm saying is, lay off England, alright? When I studied in London, one of my flatmates was studying to be a dentist, when I discovered that (A) dental care in England is quite good, and (B) the British have no idea we mock their teeth. So I ask you to redirect all of your bad-teeth stereotypes to China, because it might not be as bad as the other health problems China has been causing (SARS, Bird Flu), but I still don't want this epidemic to spread!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Yo quiero un burrito
I have found heaven in Shanghai and it is called New York City Deli. After scouring the internet for the best Mexican restaurant in Shanghai, the search ended with most every website agreeing that this was the place for burritos. Due to who knows why, they only sell the salsa lovin' food from Friday afternoon through Sunday night, so its weekends only for this delicious lunch treat. Fortunately they deliver free to our office...
Last weekend was the first experiment and the reaction was both simple and universal (even among those who didn't order but simply gazed upon greatness)... "Woah my gosh!! Real Burritos in Shanghai?!?!!!" These beauties were the size of a Nalgene bottle, filled with all the trimmings: sour cream, salsa, rice, beans and delectable carnitas. Perhaps it's because I'm on the soy saucy side of the world, perhaps because I've inhaled too much pollution, but I wanna say that this was more satisfying (and most definitely bigger) than my beloved Anna's.
This discovery may seem unimportant to most readers, sitting only a short drive away from delicious fajitas, tacos and quesedillas, but to someone eating fried noodles and boiled pork the past 9 months the taste of authentic Americanized Mexican food is worth writing home about. I've found I can find nearly any important style of food here - Italian, French, American, Indian, Thai, Chinese (go figure) - in Shanghai except Mexican, so rectifying that unsightly fact is a major cour in our culinary playbook. We repeated this tradition this Saturday, and again it induced an office of once lively, hardworking people into sitting around staring blankly at YouTube in the clutches of an unrelenting food coma.
On a side note, the more Mandarin I learn, not that I'm learning much, the more I forget the Spanish I spent 7 years learning in school. I was never very good, pretty much all I could ever muster was how much I love eating ham (jamon!), but the fact that it is disappearing is sad. With so many of my fellow teachers from the UK and Australia, plus the heavy emphasis on learning Chinese, there is nobody here to speak Spanish with, let alone anyone who understand the quick slang phrases which have permeated English. When I get home, I can only hope it hasn't all left me. Que Lastimo!
Last weekend was the first experiment and the reaction was both simple and universal (even among those who didn't order but simply gazed upon greatness)... "Woah my gosh!! Real Burritos in Shanghai?!?!!!" These beauties were the size of a Nalgene bottle, filled with all the trimmings: sour cream, salsa, rice, beans and delectable carnitas. Perhaps it's because I'm on the soy saucy side of the world, perhaps because I've inhaled too much pollution, but I wanna say that this was more satisfying (and most definitely bigger) than my beloved Anna's.
This discovery may seem unimportant to most readers, sitting only a short drive away from delicious fajitas, tacos and quesedillas, but to someone eating fried noodles and boiled pork the past 9 months the taste of authentic Americanized Mexican food is worth writing home about. I've found I can find nearly any important style of food here - Italian, French, American, Indian, Thai, Chinese (go figure) - in Shanghai except Mexican, so rectifying that unsightly fact is a major cour in our culinary playbook. We repeated this tradition this Saturday, and again it induced an office of once lively, hardworking people into sitting around staring blankly at YouTube in the clutches of an unrelenting food coma.
On a side note, the more Mandarin I learn, not that I'm learning much, the more I forget the Spanish I spent 7 years learning in school. I was never very good, pretty much all I could ever muster was how much I love eating ham (jamon!), but the fact that it is disappearing is sad. With so many of my fellow teachers from the UK and Australia, plus the heavy emphasis on learning Chinese, there is nobody here to speak Spanish with, let alone anyone who understand the quick slang phrases which have permeated English. When I get home, I can only hope it hasn't all left me. Que Lastimo!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Above the Muck
Ever since my second month here in Shanghai I have belonged to the gym next to my office. Stored away on the top floor of a mall overlooking Peoples' Square, the gym is packed with exercise equipment of all types and even has a pool, dangling precariously over the food court on the floor below (I'd hate to think of all the soggy noddles if the ceiling ever gave way). Though I sometimes swim, I find the headaches of managing the Chinese willy-nilly sense of direction too much to bear underwater, which is why I find myself running on my treadmill (yes, I always run on the same one) more and more often. Not to mention, it has a view too.
Directly in front of me, at the base of the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum stands 'Haribo', the small, blue mascot of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai - he kind of looks like he's made of toothpaste. Shanghai is using the Expo as an excuse to catapult itself into the 21st century, and this little guy is the face of it. To his right runs an official looking boulevard, lined with Chinese flags hanging from every lamp post. The regional government building is at the end of the street, which is why this street offers more pomp than the others. Across the decorated street is the Shanghai Museum, home to more Chinese antiquities than you can shake a stick at. A perfect circle, with odd, vertical loops rising above its entrances, the museum sits like a paperweight in the middle of a park.
As the park's of Peoples' Square fade into the backdrop of skyscrapers, a few holes between the buildings reveal glimpses of the elevated highway system. Here in the heart of the city there are 3 elevated highways stacked one atop the next, with the surface streets running beneath it all. Up close, they are grotesque structures, cleaner than Boston's old central artery, but offering a similar cave like feel beneath. Yet at a distance the traffic glides this way and that, a peaceful diversion to exercise at hand.
Then there are the buildings, with even more oddly shaped hats than the ones I can see from my bedroom. A few of my former roommates were architects, and they told me that the Chinese architectural mindset is to create a standard, mundane building from the ground up, but at the end build the top few floors as crazy, unique or experimental as possible, just to prove that they're good enough to do it. This helps explain the salad fork on top of one building, an oversizes cellphone on top of another, and a Star Wars transport ship on yet another. One of my favorite pastimes is to figure out what it looks like landed on top of the building (and you can't say UFO because it always looks like a UFO).
Finally, rising above it all are 3 buildings so tall, they wouldn't belong in Boston. One of them, though among the 50 tallest buildings on earth, is hardly noticed or mentioned when Shanghai skyscrapers are discussed, because its more famous for the luxury brand mall beneath it, than the tower above. Plus, its name, Plaza 66, sounds more like a cheap Chinese food court than a world class building. Yet that would seem to epitomize China's current image problem, its great things are being overlooked as blase, while the grotesque things are those that catch your eye.
The gym that makes the exercise possible, as running in the streets has too many problems: space, pollution, grimy muck in the streets. I feel that, given the choice of running in muck or looking at the impressive skyline, there is no question I embrace China's recent advancements. It's just that sometimes the muck coming out of China is harder to ignore.
Directly in front of me, at the base of the Shanghai Urban Planning Museum stands 'Haribo', the small, blue mascot of the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai - he kind of looks like he's made of toothpaste. Shanghai is using the Expo as an excuse to catapult itself into the 21st century, and this little guy is the face of it. To his right runs an official looking boulevard, lined with Chinese flags hanging from every lamp post. The regional government building is at the end of the street, which is why this street offers more pomp than the others. Across the decorated street is the Shanghai Museum, home to more Chinese antiquities than you can shake a stick at. A perfect circle, with odd, vertical loops rising above its entrances, the museum sits like a paperweight in the middle of a park.
As the park's of Peoples' Square fade into the backdrop of skyscrapers, a few holes between the buildings reveal glimpses of the elevated highway system. Here in the heart of the city there are 3 elevated highways stacked one atop the next, with the surface streets running beneath it all. Up close, they are grotesque structures, cleaner than Boston's old central artery, but offering a similar cave like feel beneath. Yet at a distance the traffic glides this way and that, a peaceful diversion to exercise at hand.
Then there are the buildings, with even more oddly shaped hats than the ones I can see from my bedroom. A few of my former roommates were architects, and they told me that the Chinese architectural mindset is to create a standard, mundane building from the ground up, but at the end build the top few floors as crazy, unique or experimental as possible, just to prove that they're good enough to do it. This helps explain the salad fork on top of one building, an oversizes cellphone on top of another, and a Star Wars transport ship on yet another. One of my favorite pastimes is to figure out what it looks like landed on top of the building (and you can't say UFO because it always looks like a UFO).
Finally, rising above it all are 3 buildings so tall, they wouldn't belong in Boston. One of them, though among the 50 tallest buildings on earth, is hardly noticed or mentioned when Shanghai skyscrapers are discussed, because its more famous for the luxury brand mall beneath it, than the tower above. Plus, its name, Plaza 66, sounds more like a cheap Chinese food court than a world class building. Yet that would seem to epitomize China's current image problem, its great things are being overlooked as blase, while the grotesque things are those that catch your eye.
The gym that makes the exercise possible, as running in the streets has too many problems: space, pollution, grimy muck in the streets. I feel that, given the choice of running in muck or looking at the impressive skyline, there is no question I embrace China's recent advancements. It's just that sometimes the muck coming out of China is harder to ignore.
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