Suzhou

We took a bus ride about an hour outside of Shanghai to Suzhou (which means "the land of rice and fishes"). It was established 3,500 years ago. Marco Polo thought that Suzhou resembled Venice, and indeed, it is a city of canals with houses built directly on the water. We had a wonderful boat trip through the canals. This very complex series of canals ultimately connects to the Grand Canal which brings water from the South of China to Beijing (which is very short of water).

Suzhou is the center of silk manufacture, primarily because mulberry trees grow in the surrounding province. Silk worms feed exclusively on the leaves of mulberry trees. We had a fascinating demonstration of the growth of silk worms and how they make silk cocoons. Each cocoon is a single long strand of silk that can only be unwound by boiling the cocoon. Boiling expands the cocoon and frees the end of the thread. An amazing amount of hand work goes into producing silk fabric; once you see the process, you can respect the prices that fine silk commands.

There are many Kentucky Fried Chicken places in China (as well as all other brands of American fast food). A little Chinese joke is: KFS = "Kentucky Fried Silkworm." In fact, some Chinese people do eat fried worms and scorpions. An amazing number of foods are fried in China. The Chinese joke that people in Suzhou will eat anything.

Unrelated to any specific place in China: There is a "big nose" price for Chinese goods, and a "small nose" price for the same goods. Chinese people pride themselves on their beautiful little noses (which indeed they do have), and they think foreigners like Americans have big noses.

Shanghai

Shanghai has a population of 20M although Beijing is larger in area. The Chinese consider a major city any city over 10M. A small city is any city under 5M (like Phoenix). 20M is a crowded city in anyone's book, but what distinguishes Shanghai is its density which is unlike anything I've ever seen anywhere. The numbers we got were 7,000 people per square kilometer, compared to three in Tibet.

Shanghai is the economic capital of China; Beijing the political and cultural capital. My impression of Shanghai -- a cross between Las Vegas and Wall Street. I'm actually writing this post from Beijing, so the differences between Shanghai and Beijing seem quite striking. Shanghai is on the Huangpu River, a very substantial river with lots of river traffic. People go out in boats (as we did a few nights ago) to see the really spectacular skyline which makes Manhattan look a little small. The highrise buildings are all lighted in neon with computer graphic displays dancing up and down the buildings, including the tallest building in the world. Dubai in the United Arab Emirates has started a building that will be taller, but due to the recession, that building is on hold. The trip up the river at night is a must see, as is the Shanghai Museum (one of the four best museums in China).

Downtown Shanghai is under construction (a whole new subway system) in preparation for the 2010 World Expo. Shanghai will get a rehab like Beijing did for the Olympics. The scaffolding on the buildings, even high rise, is all tied bamboo. A major apartment building in Shanghai (built by a contractor whose license had expired), collapsed this week, an event which is a great embarrassment to the local government.

Shanghai is a 3-ring city.Beijing is a 6-ring city. You might liken a ring to Hwy. 101 that surrounds Phoenix and Scottsdale. The rings are concentric and move outward from the city core. Our guide Jackie Chan (more about him later) says that he has the impression that in America successful, wealthy people live outside the city in big houses on large acreages, and that "lower class" people live in the inner city. The term "lower class" comes up a lot around here and has the specific meaning "poor," "uneducated," or "rural." Jackie says that wealthy urban Chinese live in the inner city, middle class people in the mid-rings, and "low class" people in the outer rings. Real estate in the inner city is sold at astronomic prices per square meter.

Jackie Chan's name is actually Jackie Zhang, but it amuses him and us to call him Jackie Chan. Jackie's real given name means "ever bright." In China, choosing a given name for a child is a very serious matter. Usually the most important person in the family (Jackie's grandfather in this case) chooses a child's name, often with the help of a fortune teller. We have been surprised at the extent to which ultra modern is mixed with ancient tradition in China. Chinese people are very interested in Chinese astrology, lucky numbers (like 8 and 13), unlucky numbers like 4 (because the word for "four" sounds much like the word for "death"), and auspicious behaviors, e.g., walking over the "smallest" bridge in China will bring you prosperity and longevity. The Chinese take such things very seriously.

Jackie is an only child, is married and has one son. His in-laws care for the child while Jackie and his wife work. Jackie has a car, but his wife doesn't. She's afraid to drive in Shanghai (which definitely shows that she is smarter than Jackie). You can't drive in China is you're over 60 (and trust me, you wouldn't want to). China has the highest number of car fatalities relative to the number of cars of any country in the world. We have had some amazingly close calls here already. The transportation pecking order is based on size: cement trucks and buses have the right of way over cars, then bicycles and finally pedestrians who really never have the right-of-way.

Jackie does Tai Chi four hours a day and has given us several amazing demonstrations. The demonstrations are particular effective since Jackie is tall and has movie star good looks. Jackie's cell phone ring tone is his son crying. Given that his cell phone rings constantly, we feel well acquainted with Jackie's son. Virtually everyone in China has a cell phone, and cell phone talking and texting are over-the-top.

Yesterday Jackie described the famous Shanghai women who are reputed to be the most beautiful, educated, and desirable women in China. He says that "first tier" Shanghai women marry rich Americans, "second tier" Shanghai women marry rich Japanese men, and the remaining ones marry Chinese. He later said that Chinese men actually prefer Western women although they seldom marry them.

Jackie has a 1.5 million yuan mortgage on his condo (6.6 yuan = $1 U.S.). His parents are "middle-class" and they pay half of Jackie's mortgage which means that Jackie doesn't need to work too hard as a freelance guide. It is common for successful parents to help their children in this way. Our guide in Beijing said that most urban Chinese don't want more than one child since it is enormously expensive to educate a child and get him launched.

It seems quite important in China that things be the biggest, the tallest, or the prettiest. Shanghai has an interesting 900 meter high radio/TV tower (which looks a little like the space needle in Seattle). It is the third largest TV tower in the world (after ones in Canada and Russia). It has a terrific observation deck like the one at the Grand Canyon. The floor is glass, and you stand out near the edge; you can see the ground way below you. Young Chinese tourists lie down on the glass deck and take their own pictures with their cell phones.

Flight to Shanghai - Part III

1:40 a.m. In preparation for landing, we get a one sentence announcement in Chinese, followed by a one sentence announcement in heavily accented English. We understand none of it. Immediately the stewardesses pass through the cabin with laser beam guns which they direct at each passenger's forehead to check the passenger's body temperature. The laser beam displays as a bright red quarter-size dot on the passenger's forehead. Not one passenger says anything about his civil rights or privacy. One American calls out, "They're checking your I.Q."

Our group leader had suggested in advance that we take a few aspirin two hours before arrival to reduce our body temperatures. All this is related to the H1N1 flu. (Earlier in the evening we filled out a Health Declaration Form. Among other things, the form said: "Fill in form truly...False information may cause legal consequences." The form has various check boxes for fever, coughing, fatigue and other symptoms. FATIGUE? Hello, we've been awake for 21 hours! No one checks the "Fatigue" box.

2:00 a.m. Chinese yoga on the TV monitor. Some passengers doing yoga.

China Daily Business Section: "China will remove or reduce export taxes on grain, rice, metals, and other materials to prevent trade situation from deteriorating further. Premier Wen Jiabao said that China's exports situation was severe."

3:50 a.m. Plane lands in Shanghai's main airport, about an hour's drive from the city. There is a little consternation among the crew as eight health officials in head-to-toe white Hazmat gear, topped with bright red goggles, board the plane to re-laser everyone. The health officials stick thermometers into the mouths of those with questionable body temperatures. No civil rights conversation here.

One young Chinese man has a fever. He's sitting next to Ruth, a member of our group. They are both detained, along with two people in front and two behind. The rest of us are directed to deplane from the other side of the aircraft, away from the "infected" parties. Ruth's detention detains all of us for an hour at which time she is "released." We suspect the "infected" person was also released. All show and no go just like some of our American airport procedures.

Two other members of our group, travelling on different flights, were detained as well. We each received an email in Shanghai that all the first-time China teachers (me) will be quarantined in Wuhan for six days in early July. We feel confident that our leader will fix this problem well before we arrive in Wuhan.

Flight to Shanghai - Part II

Stewardesses distribute China Daily, the national English language newspaper. The headline today: "Leakage of State secrets to be plugged" with sidebar detailing espionage cases and subsequent executions since 2000. Another full page story: "Dramatic increase in cosmetic surgery among young women, especially double-eyelid surgery to change single lid eye to a more Western look." Female job applicants feel that pretty girls have better job prospects [Oh, really?]. The cost is 3,000 - 5,000 yuan per procedure (about 6.8 yuan to $1 U.S.).

Chinese Eastern airplane: A few good ideas here -- an airplane bathroom that is brightly lit with a full wall of mirror. After 14 hours aboard, you can really see what's happened to you. The seats on the plane, even in coach, are Recaro seats (the kind used in German sports cars). On the back panel of each seat is a real cup holder like you have in your car, as well as a live electrical outlet to plug in your computer. However, no overhead air vents.

4:45 p.m. We're on to Chinese karaoke on the TV monitors, and what a hit that is. Karaoke and waltzing are both extremely popular in China. 10 hrs. 13 minutes flying time left.

This is an intersting flight -- no in-flight announcements. No discussion of oxygen masks. No instructions to put on your seat belt or turn off electronics. The pilot never comes on the intercom during flight. Although it is broad daylight over the Pacific, all the window shades are pulled down and the main cabin looks like the bottom of Carlsbad Caverns. The little Chinese girl across the aisle wants to know, "Is it dark night?" My seat mate (the one with the gas mask) sleeps sitting straight up with his forehead against the seat in front of him.

6:45 8 hours 45 minutes to go. The International Date Line now shows up on the left side of the video monitor. Hitherto pristine airplane bathrooms are starting to show the effect of 200+ passengers. The little Chinese girl has figured out that it is not really night; she realizes she doesn't need to go to bed. She is drinking ice water and shouting about how spicy it is and how it will make you fat. Later: "Mommy, are we at China?" Ditto that.

Everyone has his laptop out and his earphones on. Chinese passengers are watching their own Chinese films on the laptops. The main monitor has gone on to Journey to the Center of the Earth with Chinese subtitles.

8:15 p.m. The stewardess brings small round buns filled with meat, heated and wrapped in cellophane. It's too dark in the cabin to determine the exact contents.

1:15 a.m. That's AM. Stewardess arrives with beef/rice or seafood noodles, both accompanied by cold macaroni salad that could have come from the Ladies Aid Society kitchen at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Moorehead, MN. Chinese passengers won't touch it.

The most intersting part of this flight is yet to come.

Flight to Shanghai - June 23

I spent Monday night with Christian and Lori in downtown Tucson, in prepartion for an early a.m. flight to L.A. and then on to Shanghai. Christian woke me at 5 a.m., Lori had fresh coffee, homemade scones, lemon curd, and mesquite jelly ready at 5:15 a.m. Chris dropped me off at the Southwest Terminal at 5:45 with his sweet good wishes, a new two gigabyte memory card for my Nikon camera, and a really slick miniature memory card reader. All those years as a single mother have really paid off.

Flight to L.A. on-time. Walked over to the Bradley International terminal and was second in line to get a seat on China Eastern Airlines flight to Shanghai. Consequently, I got a great aisle seat, only two across. China Eastern is a low cost carrier, and coach class is configured eight seats across in a 2, 4, 2 pattern. Some of us gave a little thought to a $350 (one way) upgrade to business class. No one opted for the $3,500 upgrade to first class, so many of those seats went begging. By 2:30 in the afternoon we were out over the Pacific and well into lunch (spicy beef and noodles or fish rice) and Home Video Heroes (with Chinese sub-titles) on the video monitors. The plane is full, about 2/3 Chinese and 1/3 foreigners. Many of the young Chinese families have two or more children so we assume that they are American born.

I'm travelling with about 18 other Americans, mostly from Tucson, most of whom will be teaching with me in Wuhan starting in early July. They are an exceptionally gregarious group. I kid you not. I haven't heard that much talking since the Democratic National convention. I'm seated next to a young Chinese man who is wearing large dark sunglasses and a white gas-mask type covering on his face. Due to the gas mask, he does not speak to me for the next 14 hours.

Preparation: Read Your Way Into China

One of the most satisfying aspects of traveling is the reading you do before you pack your bags. I've got a great reading list for a would-be China traveller. The following books, written from diverse points of view, draw almost identical conclusions about the character of China and its culture:

• Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation by J. Maarten Troost (he also wrote "The Sex Lives of Cannibals"). If you're a Republican, this book might not work for you. This is an audacious little book, written by a Canadian whose heritage is half Czechoslovakian, half Dutch. I'm half Czechoslovakian, half Danish, so we are relatives of sorts. This is a very funny book written by a perceptive young writer. Start your reading with this book; however, I do not recommend that you take this book with you to China. Being seen with this book in your lap in a "hard seat" train car might not work.
• Coming Home Crazy: An Alphabet of China Essays by Bill Holm. The author was a college friend of mine, but that's not why I recommend this book. Bill died unexpectedly this year upon returning from a book signing in Arizona. He was a professional musician, poet, and published author of numerous books. He was from Minneota, Minnesota (don't you love the sound of that), and you may have heard him on The Prairie Home Companion. If you're a Midwesterner, this is the China book for you. The contrast between middle America and the Middle Kingdom could not be more profound.
• Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China and River Town, both by Peter Hessler. Hessler, a product of Princeton and Oxford, was a Peace Corps teacher and freelance writer in China. River Town is a product of his teaching years, and Oracle Bones was written during his years as a "clipper" for the Wall Street Journal and freelance writer in China. He tells the complex story of China's past and its transition to a very different modern industrial/technological future from the point of view of average Chinese citizens. He follows the lives of several of his former students as they move out of the education system into the workforce. One of his more intriguing friends is Polat, a money changer / trader who is a Muslim dissident from Xinjiang. Polat is a Uyghur (one of the 55 minority groups in China). Americans have heard the word "Uyghur" recently because some detainees in Guantanamo are Uyghurs. About 91% of the 1.3 billion people in China are Han Chinese; the remaining 9% are members of the 55 minority groups. These books are slower reads than the first two, but provide an amazing introduction to China.

I'm also going to "recommend" two other books that have come to my attention. I have not read either one yet.

• Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. This is a personal memoir about the author, her mother and grandmother in the period 1911-1976. The book describes their lives from the end of Imperial China, through the Japanese occupation, the Nationalist movement, the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communists, Mao's Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and Mao Zedong's death. Numerous people have recommended this book to me.
• The Man Who Loved China: The Fantastic Story of the Eccentric Scientist Who Unlocked the Mysteries of the Middle Kingdom by Simon Winchester. My son Christian gave me a signed, first edition of this book for Mother's Day this year. Winchester is the author of 18 books including Krakatoa, The Professor and the Madman, and The Meaning of Everything. I've read Winchester before, and am sure this will be interesting. The Man Who Loved China tells the extraordinary story of Joseph Needham, a brilliant Cambridge scientist who fell in love with a visiting Chinese student in 1937. She persuaded him to visit China where he embarked on a series of expeditions to the farthest frontiers of the empire, searching for evidence to support his conviction that the Chinese were responsible for hundred of mankind's innovations like printing, explosives, and suspension bridges.