Please forgive the rough title. I told my friend Beau I would call a Beijing blog post "Chicken Hearts and Duck Necks" and he said it would be better to add "Bitches" as that was how he, Lucas, and Li spoke most of the time. I hope none of my readers are offended. I think it actually accurately reflects Beijing, and China in general (or at least what I saw of it). Not so much the "bitches" part, but the "unrefinedness" of it (yeah, I'm aware "unrefinedness" is not a real word).
This is my second post about China and in my first I failed to mention my general impression of the country-- nay, major cities. I only spent two weeks in two cities in a giant country. I will not be as ignorant as to declare that my short time in Beijing and Shanghai gave me a fair image of the entire country. However, I will say that based on my personal experiences in Beijing, it is big, dirty, smelly, cheap, and incredibly polluted. There is a lot of shouting and shoving. Men spit wherever pleases them (be it sidewalks, streets, or public transport), and children relieve themselves on the street when nature calls. Not many people speak English and a lot of people stare at white westerners. To an outsider the city appears in a constant state of disarray, particularly traffic, but I think there is some underlying organization that the locals have come to understand and agree upon. The water is not safe to drink and the plumbing cannot handle toilet paper. Shopkeepers and taxi drivers will "scam" foreigners, but they don't really see it as scamming; they just see it as part of the circle of life- or business. They go hand in hand, really. (i.e. Beau and I pay 5RMB for a beer, Li pays 3RMB, and the Englishman who has lived in China for three years and speaks the language pays 4RMB. They are different set prices and that's just how it is). The government is oppressive and communistic, but the people honestly don't seem to mind. There is a strict one-child policy in place in big cities, and the parents dote on and spoil their special miracle endlessly. It is commonplace to see a minivan loaded up with watermelons or a motorcycle piled high with groceries, people, and animals. That's Beijing and Shanghai is more of the same except with some gross economic differences within the citizens, more high rise buildings, and more of a nightlife. And yet, with all of that taken into consideration, I would definitely visit China again if the opportunity presented itself. I listed a lot of negative observations and they are all true. It is hard to explain to someone who has not been there why exactly I would like to return. I can only say that the culture is so different from my own (in most ways) it is almost hypnotizing. I am glad to be an American citizen and I wouldn't want to live in China, but it is certainly a place I want to know better.
OK, I realize that long diversion would be more appropriate for the summary of China post, but hey, it's my blog, right? Now I will continue with my accounts of Beijing...
After Beau, Li, and I returned to the hostel from the Forbidden City we were pretty much beat from the sun. We rested for a bit, and later went to dinner with Lucas and Dong. Dong worked at the hostel. Most of the hostel employees spoke English well, but Dong spoke the best. He took us to a dumpling restaurant nearby. Apparently the province that Dong is from is famous for dumplings, but Dong thinks they are better at this restaurant. They were quite good. I ate at the dumpling restaurant twice more after this dinner. The five of us filled up on dumplings and we tried the Chinese vodka. On our way back to the hostel Li stopped at a deli to buy some spicy duck neck. I am not exaggerating when I say that it was literally five minutes after leaving the restaurant that Li was buying more food. The guy has a bottomless pit for a stomach, I swear.
Also on our way back to the hostel Li and Dong bought beers for everyone (they got the coveted Chinese discount). We all settled in to the rooftop terrace for the night. The Belgian brothers were there as well. Dong was working that night so he couldn't be with us the whole time. We were just chilling, eating spicy duck neck (and it was really, oh-my-god-what-is-this-my-tongue-is-on-fire spicy), listening to music and telling bad-- I mean GREAT- jokes when Dong came up with a new guest. His name was Gareth and he was English. It was cute how Beau perked up at hearing a proper English accent, "Yes! Another Englishman!" he said. What was even better was Beau's reaction when Gareth greeted Li in fluent Mandarin, "And he speaks Chinese!!!!" Gareth had been living in China for the past three years teaching English. He was in Beijing for just a few days with his parents who had come for a visit. (His parents had retired for the evening). Later when it got too late to be out on the rooftop, we moved our party inside where most of us stayed up very late.
The next day was June 1. Wow, I can't believe I am writing this more than three weeks later... Anyway, June 1 is Children's Day in China. Pretty much like Mother's Day and Father's Day, except for children. Li tried to explain it to me, but did a poor job. Actually, he did a fine job. He said "Today is Children's Day." However, when I asked him, "Like Mother's Day and Father's Day, but for children?" He said no. When in fact, that is exactly what the holiday is. Ah well. Basically the kids get more spoiled on June 1 than other days of the year. On this day Beau, Lucas, Li, and I went to the Temple of Heaven. Gareth had to go do parenty things with his folks.
The Temple of Heaven was all right. It was really just a big park with some crowded temples. It was here at one site that I overheard a kid (late teens, early twenties) tell his father, "I don't like it up there. There are too many people." I said to Lucas under my breath, "Of course it's crowded! This is f***ing China." I mean, really, what did the kid expect? One temple in particular was a bit more impressive than the rest. And there were some rose gardens as well. There was an echo wall which, you guessed it, echoes. Li doesn't appreciate Chinese culture. Or probably any kind of culture. Lucas told him he needed to learn about the "culture" and Li perked up for a moment because he misheard and thought Lucas said ""girls." No one told Li he had to come with us to the Temple of Heaven, but you would have thought we dragged him there against his will. It was kind of funny actually. There was one temple within the echo wall with a bunch of people waiting in line for. Beau wanted to queue because he's English and apparently "English people love queuing!" And what were we queuing for (if you can even call it that)? To look in a tiny window at NOTHING! Well, I'm sure it was something, but nothing noteable to us. Now I sound ignorant and arrogant. Such an attractive combination of attributes...
We soon left the Temple of Heaven and snapped the only smiling photo of Li (at the exit). Li wanted to go to McDonald's, so we went across the street and after eating a crappy hamburger he was happier. Then we went to a market that had good deals on all the "brand" names. I didn't get anything, but Lucas and Beau had fun bartering with the shop ladies. Like the day before it was really hot, so we headed back to the hostel.
I discovered that Beau is an Arrested Development (American sitcom) fan and he had a few episodes from the new season on his laptop, so we watched some of that. We had dinner at a good restaurant down the road, then went back to the hostel for some beers. I will just put it out there and say I drank every day I was in Beijing. Or almost every day at least. But the beer is just 3.2%, so my belly got full of liquid before I felt the effects of the alcohol. The staff on duty at the hostel this night were more strict than Dong and kicked Beau, Gareth, and I out at 1:00. We wandered around looking for a bar and found a 24/7 restaurant not too far away. Here is where we had chicken hearts on a skewer. They tasted like chicken (go figure), and were a bit chewy. They weren't bad.
This is my second post about China and in my first I failed to mention my general impression of the country-- nay, major cities. I only spent two weeks in two cities in a giant country. I will not be as ignorant as to declare that my short time in Beijing and Shanghai gave me a fair image of the entire country. However, I will say that based on my personal experiences in Beijing, it is big, dirty, smelly, cheap, and incredibly polluted. There is a lot of shouting and shoving. Men spit wherever pleases them (be it sidewalks, streets, or public transport), and children relieve themselves on the street when nature calls. Not many people speak English and a lot of people stare at white westerners. To an outsider the city appears in a constant state of disarray, particularly traffic, but I think there is some underlying organization that the locals have come to understand and agree upon. The water is not safe to drink and the plumbing cannot handle toilet paper. Shopkeepers and taxi drivers will "scam" foreigners, but they don't really see it as scamming; they just see it as part of the circle of life- or business. They go hand in hand, really. (i.e. Beau and I pay 5RMB for a beer, Li pays 3RMB, and the Englishman who has lived in China for three years and speaks the language pays 4RMB. They are different set prices and that's just how it is). The government is oppressive and communistic, but the people honestly don't seem to mind. There is a strict one-child policy in place in big cities, and the parents dote on and spoil their special miracle endlessly. It is commonplace to see a minivan loaded up with watermelons or a motorcycle piled high with groceries, people, and animals. That's Beijing and Shanghai is more of the same except with some gross economic differences within the citizens, more high rise buildings, and more of a nightlife. And yet, with all of that taken into consideration, I would definitely visit China again if the opportunity presented itself. I listed a lot of negative observations and they are all true. It is hard to explain to someone who has not been there why exactly I would like to return. I can only say that the culture is so different from my own (in most ways) it is almost hypnotizing. I am glad to be an American citizen and I wouldn't want to live in China, but it is certainly a place I want to know better.
OK, I realize that long diversion would be more appropriate for the summary of China post, but hey, it's my blog, right? Now I will continue with my accounts of Beijing...
After Beau, Li, and I returned to the hostel from the Forbidden City we were pretty much beat from the sun. We rested for a bit, and later went to dinner with Lucas and Dong. Dong worked at the hostel. Most of the hostel employees spoke English well, but Dong spoke the best. He took us to a dumpling restaurant nearby. Apparently the province that Dong is from is famous for dumplings, but Dong thinks they are better at this restaurant. They were quite good. I ate at the dumpling restaurant twice more after this dinner. The five of us filled up on dumplings and we tried the Chinese vodka. On our way back to the hostel Li stopped at a deli to buy some spicy duck neck. I am not exaggerating when I say that it was literally five minutes after leaving the restaurant that Li was buying more food. The guy has a bottomless pit for a stomach, I swear.
Also on our way back to the hostel Li and Dong bought beers for everyone (they got the coveted Chinese discount). We all settled in to the rooftop terrace for the night. The Belgian brothers were there as well. Dong was working that night so he couldn't be with us the whole time. We were just chilling, eating spicy duck neck (and it was really, oh-my-god-what-is-this-my-tongue-is-on-fire spicy), listening to music and telling bad-- I mean GREAT- jokes when Dong came up with a new guest. His name was Gareth and he was English. It was cute how Beau perked up at hearing a proper English accent, "Yes! Another Englishman!" he said. What was even better was Beau's reaction when Gareth greeted Li in fluent Mandarin, "And he speaks Chinese!!!!" Gareth had been living in China for the past three years teaching English. He was in Beijing for just a few days with his parents who had come for a visit. (His parents had retired for the evening). Later when it got too late to be out on the rooftop, we moved our party inside where most of us stayed up very late.
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| Party Hardy! Gotta love Chinese discount... |
The Temple of Heaven was all right. It was really just a big park with some crowded temples. It was here at one site that I overheard a kid (late teens, early twenties) tell his father, "I don't like it up there. There are too many people." I said to Lucas under my breath, "Of course it's crowded! This is f***ing China." I mean, really, what did the kid expect? One temple in particular was a bit more impressive than the rest. And there were some rose gardens as well. There was an echo wall which, you guessed it, echoes. Li doesn't appreciate Chinese culture. Or probably any kind of culture. Lucas told him he needed to learn about the "culture" and Li perked up for a moment because he misheard and thought Lucas said ""girls." No one told Li he had to come with us to the Temple of Heaven, but you would have thought we dragged him there against his will. It was kind of funny actually. There was one temple within the echo wall with a bunch of people waiting in line for. Beau wanted to queue because he's English and apparently "English people love queuing!" And what were we queuing for (if you can even call it that)? To look in a tiny window at NOTHING! Well, I'm sure it was something, but nothing noteable to us. Now I sound ignorant and arrogant. Such an attractive combination of attributes...
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| Beau and I in front of the Temple of Heaven |
We soon left the Temple of Heaven and snapped the only smiling photo of Li (at the exit). Li wanted to go to McDonald's, so we went across the street and after eating a crappy hamburger he was happier. Then we went to a market that had good deals on all the "brand" names. I didn't get anything, but Lucas and Beau had fun bartering with the shop ladies. Like the day before it was really hot, so we headed back to the hostel.
 |
| Li happy to be leaving the Temple of Heaven |
I discovered that Beau is an Arrested Development (American sitcom) fan and he had a few episodes from the new season on his laptop, so we watched some of that. We had dinner at a good restaurant down the road, then went back to the hostel for some beers. I will just put it out there and say I drank every day I was in Beijing. Or almost every day at least. But the beer is just 3.2%, so my belly got full of liquid before I felt the effects of the alcohol. The staff on duty at the hostel this night were more strict than Dong and kicked Beau, Gareth, and I out at 1:00. We wandered around looking for a bar and found a 24/7 restaurant not too far away. Here is where we had chicken hearts on a skewer. They tasted like chicken (go figure), and were a bit chewy. They weren't bad.
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