Teaching English in China

How Strange It Is

2009-07-30T13:06:00.003-07:00

How strange it seems to be home. There is always something of a re-entry problem after a long vacation. You've forgotten some of the simple routines that just weeks ago were so familiar. My American style TV remote and digital video recorder require a little thought. I haven't used a dishwasher, microwave, washer/dryer or cell phone since mid-June. I haven't driven a car.

I don't need to set my alarm clock or hail a taxi or ride the bus. I just jump into my car and go where ever I want whenever I want. I find I've missed American magazines, newspapers, and brightly lighted rooms. I haven't watched TV for the past few months, and I haven't missed it. Except for one cup of instant coffee in the morning, I quit drinking coffee in China and don't seem to crave it now. I feel rich because I have an unlimited supply of toilet paper and paper towels and paper products of any kind. I brush my teeth with tap water. I can read every street and store sign in America.

But most of all, I've missed the silence. I live in a very quiet place. I had not realized just how quiet until I returned. I stayed home for a few days just enjoying that silence. The only place I went was the nearby Safeway. It was quiet too, even though there were dozens of shoppers. They shop so quietly.

I spent $115.00 (I can't tell you how many breakfasts, lunches, and dinners that would buy in China) and paid with my Safeway discount card and my MasterCard. I haven't used a discount or credit card since I've been gone. Except in major cities or in luxury stores like Gucci or Armani (there are many such stores in China), most establishments don't accept credit cards (and even if they did, many cards charge up to 3% on international transactions).

Although I've missed some American things, I am also missing some things Chinese. It's very easy to get to know Chinese people. They love the company of Americans; they are warm, friendly and kind-hearted. It would be difficult to be lonely in China. I miss my Chinese students too. They bond so easily and have a kind of sweet naivete that you would seldom see in an American university student. Our kids are more "street-smart" and very grown up for their ages.

This blog is coming to an end. My posts have perhaps been "more than you needed to know." I will add a few more pictures of China and perhaps a few book reviews as I read my way into Fall. Otherwise, I am signing off the China beat.

Going Home

2009-07-30T12:55:00.002-07:00

I feel like I've been in China for a long time, far longer than a month and a half. China is so startlingly different from America that I've developed a completely different (and workable) lifestyle here. It's quite a task to sort out and discard all that I no longer need and regroup for the return flight. No one looks forward to the 24+ hours ahead. It's an hour's drive to the Wuhan airport, two hours wait, one hour 45 minutes flight to Shanghai, 2.5 hours wait, 12 hour flight to Los Angeles, 2.5 hour wait, 1 hour 15 minute flight to Tucson, and a 40 minute drive home.

I luck out on the Shanghai-L.A. flight, and my fellow travelers are really jealous. I get THREE contiguous seats. The configuration of the plane is: XX XXXX XX. The three red ones are mine. The Chinese businessman in the blue seat is sleeping most of the time and has expressed no interest in claiming any of "my" red seats. Not only that, I get three blankets and three pillows and my choice of earphones. The blankets are the important perks because the plane is freezing cold all 12 hours.

When we get to L.A., everyone makes a bee-line for something that they have really missed: iced tea, a MacFlurry at MacDonald's, or something salty.

It's bittersweet going home. Much to miss in China and much to look forward to at home.

When Things Go Wrong

2009-07-30T12:22:00.003-07:00

Years ago a retired airline pilot friend of mine named Mac reminded me of a valuable life lesson. We were going out for dinner with Mac and his wife. I offered to drive. Unfortunately, I'd been busy all day and had forgotten to buy gas. We ran out of gas about .5 mile from home on a very hot summer evening. It was obvious to everyone that we were going to miss our dinner reservation.

Everyone was pretty upset with me, except for Mac. He hopped out of the car, helped me out, and started walking up a very steep hill, back to where his car was parked. He took my arm and we walked together. He said, "You know, I look forward to challenges like this. Since I've been retired there aren't many of them. I like to know that I can still rise to the occasion with a workable solution and a good spirit. Don't worry. This is nothing."

Every time I get in a jam now (which happens more than you might think), I remember Mac and his good advice. I had only one day in China when I needed Mac's voice in my ear. One morning I got up early and went to the hotel lobby to use a computer. I finished in about 15 minutes and went back to my room on the third floor. I couldn't open the door. I thought the electronic keycard wasn't working so I went back down to the desk to get a new one. The desk clerk refreshed the card, and I went back up. The door still wouldn't open. It dawned on me slowly that the lock (which had been a little recalcitrant all week) was broken.

It didn't take long to realize that this could be a really bad day. I wasn't completely dressed or made up for school. I didn't have money, my breakfast meal ticket, bottled water, toilet paper, my lesson plans for the day, or (worst of all) the props and costumes for the play that my class was presenting for 40 guests. I'm sure you recognize that sinking feeling.

I get busy and work my way through the chain of command at the hotel. It's still only 6:30 in the morning. School doesn't start until 8:30. Perhaps I can get this fixed. By 7:30 I'm four-levels up the hierarchy, and the hotel manager is standing at my door, a big smile on his face, holding the largest key ring I've ever seen. It's about 14" across and contains about 200 or more keys. One of these keys is the emergency key that unlocks any failed door lock in the hotel. Unfortunately, the keys are unmarked. He begins at one end of the key ring.

By 8:00 I know the worst has happened. The bus will be coming in a few minutes, and I'll have to go to school without anything, including proper clothes or brushed teeth. Only Mac is with me. Today is a day for winging it. Fortunately, I have lots of ideas in my mind, if not on paper, and by the time I get to school, I've come up with some fun, interesting things to do and a good story to tell the kids (who promptly offer what help they can).

When I return to the hotel at noon, my room is wide open and someone is guarding the door so no one steals my belongings which include 3,000 yuan on the bathroom counter (we just got paid for this week). The guard calls the manager who lets me know that I need to move to a new room on the fifth floor. I have five weeks' worth of clothes, stacks and stacks of lesson plans, food, and all my worldly goods scattered every where. It's a big job to move. It takes so long that there is no time for lunch (just as there was no breakfast) or a shower. Just a quick teeth brushing.

The upside of the downside is that I got a better room than I had, with a good air conditioner and a working refrigerator. I wouldn't have made it without you, Mac.

Chinese Food

2009-07-29T16:36:00.005-07:00

It probably goes without saying that Chinese food in America bears very little resemblance to Chinese food in China. It's difficult to describe Chinese food because it is different in each of the 22 provinces. The average Chinese citizen knows which provinces have the best food.

Each province has its regional specialties. For example, in Inner Mongolia you can get excellent roasted meat. That's not on the menu in Hubei province where I've been teaching (unless you go to a Mongolian restaurant). In the same way that Cajun cuisine in Louisiana is not like Southern cooking in Mississippi or like a lobster fest in Maine, each area of China feeds its people differently.

Some provinces are rice based; others noodle based. There are dozen of types of noodles, including the famous hot dry noodles in Wuhan. I had these spicy dry noodles for breakfast with my T.A. my last day in Wuhan. When I say spicy, I mean spicy in a way that most Americans can hardly compute. The Mexican food you eat in Tucson might seem spicy to you. Take my word for it, you haven't had spicy until you've been in China. This is a double-whammy in that water is virtually never served at a restaurant table (unless you're in a Western style place).

Nonetheless, I can make a few general statements about Chinese food. There is plenty of food in China. One-sixth of the people on this earth live in China, and China has enough food to feed them. That is not to say that no one goes hungry. In the U.S. there is plenty of food as well, but still some Americans go hungry at least some of the time. Availability of food and access to it are not always the same.

So, without question there is enough food. Because refrigeration is not as common and available as in the U.S., most foods are served fresh which means that, to a large degree, meals are not pre-packaged, frozen, or preserved. This makes Chinese food very nutritious in many ways. Many food products are locally grown and purchased daily. Because Chinese food requires lots of preparation (chopping, cleaning, sauce making, etc.), many people eat out regularly. It's cheap to eat out in China, and because both parents usually work, it's handy as well.

Chinese people as a rule do not eat alone. In China, as best I can tell, you don't do anything alone. If you try to eat alone, someone will try to fix that (*see footnote below). Chinese people eat at large round tables, and they share a whole variety of dishes. The American idea that Alicia orders steak, Meredith orders pork chops, and Kent orders shrimp, and each diner eats his own order is unknown in China.

What you won't see on a Chinese table? Bacon and eggs, waffles, pancakes, butter (never saw it once except on China Eastern Airline), bread (not a Chinese product), cheese (Chinese don't really like it, especially the smell), water, salt and pepper (never on the table and never detected salt in the food), coffee (only in Western style restaurants), salad with raw vegetables, iced drinks, diet drinks, wine as you know it in the U.S., cocktails, and dessert (Chinese people can't imagine eating such sugary products except for beautiful cakes for special occasions).

What will you eat in China? Rice, noodles, yogurt, peaches, apricots, fried lotus root (** see note below), beautiful vegetables of all kinds and descriptions, many of which will be new to you. Excellent TsingTao or Snow beer, Chinese tea (not like at home), Sprite, and Coke. Virtually nothing is served raw; everything is cooked.

Nothing is served plain. Everything has a sauce or an oil-based coating*** or is deep fried. The dishes are spicy and tasty with a wide variety of spices and herbs. However, so much oil is a little difficult for Americans who are accustomed to plainer food. This is especially true at breakfast.

To a novice diner in China, breakfast, lunch and dinner appear to include the same foods. Our group had the most trouble with breakfast, because it looked and tasted like dinner. I am sure Chinese people know exactly what dishes make this breakfast. For example, in the morning there is "porridge" which most of my students eat everyday. It is a milky watery liquid with white rice in it and perhaps a little sugar. It's the Chinese equivalent of cereal and milk. But at breakfast, there are also cooked cucumbers with an oily coating, chopped peppers, and meat dumplings. Even though breakfast was included at no charge at the hotel, most of us bought breakfast foods at the supermarket: Australian oatmeal, Chinese peach or apricot yogurt, coffee, bananas or other fresh fruit.

Dishes with meat or fish invariably have lots of bones. Chicken, beef, and pork are chopped differently so almost every bite has a bit of bone in it. This bone problem makes it a little tricking when eating with chopsticks. Most restaurants do not have silverware as an option (Western style only). You always know when the meal is over because watermelon or some other fruit is served. Many Chinese people do not talk while eating dinner. They eat.

At first people in our group were very careful about what they ate and drank. After a few weeks, everyone had found numerous dishes they liked. The only rule no one violated was drinking the water. Bottled water only is still a good rule in China.

As in most other parts of the world, if you just need a taste of home, you can take a taxi to KFC (all the side dishes are tweaked Chinese style), MacDonald's, Starbucks, and any other American take out.

*In a country with so many people, and in my case, so many traveling companions and students, sometimes you just need a little alone time. One Sunday I purposely took a taxi by myself at 3:30 in the afternoon to a nearby restaurant called Mr. Mai's. I went at 3:30 because no one in China eats at 3:30. They eat at 12 and 6 or thereabouts. I was thrilled to find Mr. Mai's completely quiet and empty. I was the only customer. This is an unheard of outcome in China. There was enough oxygen in the room, all for me.

I ordered a SALAD, my first since I'd been in China. Mr. Mai's was the only place we ever found a salad, and I felt completely confident eating it. I ordered a beer (which I never drink at home) because you have to drink something. The food comes, and I'm enjoying eating alone.

Then Walter and Nicholas sit down with me. Walter has some financial interest in this restaurant although the primary owner is a Chinese woman who also has a restaurant in NYC. She's in New York this week, so Walter is in the restaurant regularly, checking up on things. I've talked to Walter several times before. He's a Brazilian businessman about my age.

With him is his friend Nicholas, a handsome Greek businessman. Both Walter and Nicholas live near this restaurant. They sit right down and order lunch too. Seeing someone eating alone just won't do in China. Although I am disappointed to have the silence interrupted, we have a lovely interesting lunch. Walter pays for all the lunches (or writes them off as the case may be).

After an hour and a half conversation, I excuse myself to go hail a cab. Nicholas insists that he will get a cab for me, and he walks me out. Before getting the cab, he invites me to dinner at the Ramada a few miles away. In the U.S. that might not be a great invitation. Here the Ramada is a 28 story 5-star hotel with a revolving Western style restaurant on the 28th floor, akin to the Space Needle restaurant in Seattle. Now here's the rub. Many choices in life are "forced" choices: it's either this or that but not both. Today it's a question of what I value most? Silence or Australian steak and a cocktail? At first blush, it's a toss-up, but then steak edges out silence.

** The lotus plant has many uses in China. In a city like Wuhan which has two huge rivers and an enormous city lake, there are many lotus ponds. The lotus plant is like a giant waterlily with gorgeous white and pink blooms and leaves that a small animal could ride on. To harvest lotus root, the ponds are drained and the farmers wade around in the remaining mud to find the lotus roots which are then dug up. The root is sliced cross-wise and deep fried. It makes a tasty dish. If I had salt, it would be even better.

***We think the oil that's on everything is a rapeseed product (canola oil). Rapeseed is grown for the production of animal feed, vegetable oil for human consumption, and biodiesel. China and India are two of the largest producers of rapeseed oil. Rapeseed was the third leading source of vegetable oil in the world in 2000 (after soybean and palm oil).

My Chinese Students

2009-07-29T12:10:00.003-07:00

Scenes from Traditional China

2009-07-28T13:27:00.004-07:00

Health Officials Taking Passengers' Temperatures

2009-07-28T13:20:00.004-07:00

Apologies from an Old English Teacher

2009-07-28T12:43:00.003-07:00

This is the first day in a long time when I have had a chance to review my China blog. Normally, I cannot access the blog at all. I was distressed to find numerous grammar and spelling mistakes. My apologies to all readers. Either I have been more tired than I thought when writing, or I haven't understood the Chinese computer menus as well as I imagined. I have retraced my steps and tried to correct these errors.

Messages from China

2009-07-26T20:56:00.003-07:00

I asked each of my students to make a list of messages they would like to send to Americans to tell them about China. Here is a sample of their responses:

China is a responsible country.
China and America are two of the most effective countries in the world.
China is developing fast and harmoniously.
Taiwan is a part of China, and there's only one China.
The Chinese people are very friendly and will give you a warm welcome if you visit China. [I can attest to that.]
No matter what people write in the newspaper, you should believe that the Chinese are friendly, they love life, love work, love peace, and they don't want to make trouble. One World.
Please trust Chinese people. We are not spies.
Almost all young Chinese can speak English.
China still has many problems, just like the U.S.: criminal problems, environmental problems, and so on. Do not blame China for problems that are common to many countries.
China is still poor but developing very fast.
China is more democratic than you realize. China is not an aggressive country. China and America should be friends, not enemies.
Chinese food is safe and delicious. [True in the urban China I've seen.]
Chinese people have the potential to win Nobel Prizes.
We do still have some incorruptible officials.
Chinese people know more about the world than the world knows about China. The world should know more about us.
Taiwan, Tibet, and Xiajiang (NW China) are part of China. Don't believe the people who want to divide us.
The average Chinese person is still poor. It doesn't look like Shanghai or Beijing all over China. We are still progressing.
We have more human rights than Americans imagine.
China is not a growing enemy to be worried about.
People in China now enjoy a better life.
We want more opportunities to attend famous American universities.
You will be safe in China. [True. Very safe here. No guns in the citizenry or police. Little violent crime.]
If you come to China, you may find some Chinese people looking at you. They don't mean to offend you. They are just curious about you. [My note - a woman came up to me in a store and looked into my shopping basket to see what I was buying. She turned over several items to read the prices. She was just curious to see what a foreigner would buy.]
In the process of developing our motherland, there are many problems, but I believe our government is trying its best to solve these problems.

The Solar Eclipse - July 22, 2009

2009-07-26T20:46:00.002-07:00

To my surprise, we were able to take our students outside to view the solar eclipse on July 22. We didn't know just how dark it might be during the total eclipse phase, so some of us brought flashlights. My students were equipped with special glasses to protect their eyes. A few of the girls seemed reluctant to go out for the viewing, but they came along anyway. The boys were all eager to see it. We stayed out for about 30 minutes, including some of the partial phases and the full total eclipse phase. The total phase came about suddenly; in a matter of a few seconds, a formerly bright sunny day turned dark (although not as dark as I had expected). It was quite breath-taking. Hundreds of people were gathered in the small courtyard, and to a person, everyone gasped audibly when it happened. The students were amazed by it. The Chinese, even very educated ones, are quite superstitious, and somehow, they saw this event differently than we Americans did. Some of you may have seen this event on the Internet. Google and many TV stations broadcast it.

Hopes and Dreams and Birthday Wishes

2009-07-24T17:01:00.001-07:00

Urban Chinese parents' fondest dreams are:

A good education for their child [they usually have only one]. The purpose of this education is to assure security for both the parents, their child, their child's spouse and grandchild. Almost no University students have jobs in China. Their parents or other relatives pay for their educations. In some cases, the parents borrow the money. The student's only job is to study and succeed.

The purchase of a home for their child. A great many urban Chinese parents provide the wherewithal (or at least the down payment) for a child to purchase a home. Without a good education, a job, a home (and in some cases a car), a male child isn't really eligible for a good marriage. That is not to say that Chinese kids don't get married without these perks. They do, but it is considered important to have as many of these possessions in place before marriage as possible. Consequently, Chinese young people get married much later than many of their American counterparts. This is not true in rural China, but in urban China, many young people do not marry until their late 20's or early 30's.

Senior high school students do not date at all. An American reading this would probably say that students just date behind their parents' backs. However, that is an American thought, not a Chinese one. A very few high school students date, but in China, the power of parents is very great. In senior high school, kids study to pass the important exam that occurs in June after their senior year. All they do is study. That's it.

My students in Wuhan are freshmen and sophomores at a good University. Only one of my 45 students has a boyfriend.The rest have never had a boyfriend or girlfriend. It's not their job at this time in life. Childhood lasts a long time among good students.

And finally, parents dream of an appropriate mate for their son or daughter. The requirements are well-known to everyone. Lastly, they look forward to a grandchild, or perhaps two. If an only child marries an only child, they can have two children. That's the Chinese story. It plays out differently in the U.S., but it's the American story too.

My son married a terrific woman who couldn't be more appropriate. Her birthday is this week, so my sincerest Happy Birthday wishes to Lori Ann who has made my son Christian (and his mother) so very happy.

Solar Eclipse in Wuhan

2009-07-21T15:32:00.001-07:00

When the Sun and Moon align July 22, 2009, a cone of darkness will cut a narrow course through eastern Asia and the western Pacific, turning day to night. The Moon will block the Sun totally for about 6-7 minutes, making this the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century. This eclipse will traverse India, but it is expected that the weather will prevent good viewing. The monsoon season is at its height in India during July, so sunny skies are scarce.

In China, viewing is expected to be better. In Wuhan, China's fourth-largest city, we expect fine viewing. The weather has been bright and sunny for days. [I've been in China for a month now, and it has rained only once for about half an hour.] Such good July weather in Wuhan is unusual because Wuhan also has a July monsoon season.

What makes this the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century? First, the Sun is at its farthest point from Earth July 4. By July 22, the Sun hasn't come much closer so it appears near its smallest size in our sky. A small Sun means the Moon can cover it longer. Second, the Moon comes closest to Earth for 2009 (and thus appears biggest) less than 5 hours before the eclipse begins. A large Moon covers the Sun longer.

We have been trying to persuade the University administration to let us take our classes outside on the morning of the eclipse. It's been quite a battle, due in part to liability issues. Any activity that is out of the ordinary generates a lot of difficulty in China. With such a large population, they observe a kind of regularity of behavior that would be uncommon in America. It has become clearer to me that some level of uniformity is important here.

During the eclipse's early partial phases, eye safety is a problem. Sunlight can quickly and painlessly damage the eye's retina. We have been studying this safety issue and think we have a solution. My friend Kent, who is very interested in astronomy, located an optical shop that was able to provide him with enough special glasses for his class and mine (5 yuan each). They have a Bausch & Lomb label, and we hope they are genuine. [100,000,000 Chinese are involved in businesses that counterfeit products of all kinds. This is a serious problem in China.] We wonder what the 10,000,000 citizens of Wuhan (some of whom don't know there will be an eclipse) will do without glasses as they walk the streets of the city on July 22.

If all goes well, I'll report on the eclipse next week. Here nothing is guaranteed until it actually occurs.

Postscript to the CarreFour Department Store

2009-07-21T15:30:00.002-07:00

Some of you read an earlier post about my shopping expedition to the CarreFour department store. When I left the store, I said, "Never again." But the same evening, I returned to see if I could purchase the items I couldn't buy in the morning. I'm such a glutton for punishment.

After the sun goes down in Wuhan, it's still in the high 90's and very humid, but occasionally there is a breeze. I walk the mile to the taxi stop and take a taxi two additional miles. I love the taxis here. There is no tipping in the taxi business. The meter is clearly displayed, and you pay exactly what the meter says, plus .5 yuan (about 8 cents) as a fuel surcharge. I ride in taxis everyday. I often ride alone. It's perfectly safe day or night.

I return to CarreFour and locate the four soup bowls and one soup ladle I was unable to buy this morning. I select only pieces that have intact readable barcode labels. I'm assuming that's what went wrong this morning. I am already dreading a 45 minute wait in the checkout line, but Hallelujah, I approach the checkout area from the other side this time and there is an express lane that is manned, "5 items or less" with about 20 people in front of me. Human nature being what it is, people in the "5 items only" line have between 1 and 10 items. In the "15 items or less" at Safeway in Tucson, someone always has 20+ items.

This is fantastic. I wait about 8 minutes, and I'm checking out. I hold my breath as the clerk scans my five items. Everything passes muster. I've forgotten to bring my own shopping bag this time, so I pay 3 yuan to buy one. By now it's 9:00 p.m. on Saturday night. This entire part of town is rockin'. Thousands of people. I can't get a taxi. Usually it takes 5-10 minutes to find one that's available, but tonight, the taxis are all full. I decide to walk home (about 3 miles). Unfortunately, I'm wearing pretty shoes, not functional ones. [I told you earlier that backless shoes weren't permitted in the classroom. Wrong. I wear backless everyday and so does everyone else. This is a country with a lot of rules, most of which are not enforced.] After about a mile, a taxi comes out of an alley and voila, it's empty. The best 7 yuan I spent today.

The Hand Towel Caper

2009-07-21T15:29:00.001-07:00

What you don't know in China can get you in trouble. At the beginning of last week, I spilled a cup of coffee in the bathroom of my hotel room. It made a real mess, so I used two small white hand towels to clean it up. The hand towels were pretty disgusting after that.

Normally, the housekeeper brings me two bath towels and two small hand towels each day. After I "damaged" the two hand towels, new towels stopped coming. The first day I thought the housekeeper had just forgotten them. By the second day, I suspected the towel boycott had something to do with the coffee towels. In an American hotel, you'd just go to the desk and ask for clean towels. At this hotel, if you make a request at the front desk, the clerk calls the Premiere's office in Beijing to resolve the matter. Best not to make inquiries or requests at the front desk.

I wait one more day. Then I get a telephone call in my room. A small Chinese voice says that she'd like to come to my room to talk to me. It's the voice of the Teaching Assistant who has been posted in the hotel round the clock to help us with problems. She is obviously very reluctant to have been chosen as the messenger. The hotel desk clerks speak almost no English. They really have no need for it. This is a very modest hotel, and an American tourist would be very unlikely to stay here. All the guests are Chinese businessmen (I've yet to see a Chinese businesswoman), Chinese teachers from outlying districts here for summer school, and African tourists.

The T.A. tells me that I must pay for the coffee towels. I say how much (wondering why it has taken four days to let me know)? 10 yuan (about $1.50). It's a bargain in my book. I pay instantly. One of the housekeepers brings one hand towel about half an hour later. I thought I would get the usual two towels (what I don't know is that $1.50 was for one towel). I ask for a second towel. I should have known better. The housekeeper has only been empowered to bring one. She uses her cell phone to call one of the other housekeepers. The two of them confer in the hallway outside my room. Now I'm really sorry that I asked for two towels. Finally the two housekeepers call their supervisor. When she arrives, we work it out somehow that one towel will be fine. About two days later, I start getting my usually allotment of towels.

The point of this story is that in modest hotels, hotel personnel inventory the rooms daily and the day before you check out to make sure that nothing is missing. In addition, if you soil a towel noticeably, expect to pay for it. Don't wait a few days, just go to the desk and pay (I would gladly have done so. I just didn't know the rules). If you take anything out of your room (for example, we bring cups of coffee to the lobby when we are working on the Internet computers), you'd better take it back. You will pay for that coffee cup if it's not in your room. You won't mind paying for the cup, because it will be very cheap. However, you will mind the "fuss" that will ensue.

My class is giving a play early next week and there are some sheer white curtains in my hotel room that would be a perfect backdrop for our play. I am seriously considering spiriting them out of here for half a day, but it's dangerous. If you don't get any more posts, call the American embassy in Beijing.

Saturday at the CarreFour Department Store

2009-07-21T15:28:00.002-07:00

This is my last weekend in Wuhan, but I have many errands to do to get supplies for my classes next week. Nonetheless, I put the Chinese "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door and sleep until 9:00 a.m., thereby missing breakfast at the hotel. So I walk the mile to the taxi stop, catch the second taxi that comes my way and head over to Starbucks which is near the Chinese shopping center where I hope to find some classroom items. In the five weeks I've been in China, I have not been in any American establishments like Starbuck, KFC, MacDonalds, and the like. But today, a tall latte and a muffin sound good. And sure enough, Starbucks is Starbucks here too. $5.00 U.S. for a latte and muffin, just like in Tucson. I don't know how they attract Chinese customers at those prices, but they do. I'm the only foreigner in Starbucks.

It's expected to be 101 ∘today, with 90+% humidity. It can't be far from that at 10:00 a.m., add to that a blistering sun. The solar eclipse on the 22nd isn't far off, and it is expected that Wuhan will be clear and one of the best viewing sites in Asia next week.

The shopping mall is six stories with hundreds of tiny shops and one very large department store. Escalators, moving inclines without steps, and stairs are everywhere. There doesn't seem to be a "floorplan." I am shopping for a little white dress that will pass for a wedding dress, four bridal headbands/veils, artificial flowers and two fake wedding rings, all of these for a play we are giving next week. I'm also shopping for a gift for my daughter-in-law Lori (more about this later). I have no idea if any of these items are sold in this mall. None of the shop signs are in English, so I start out just window-shopping.

The dress should be easy; 50-60 shops sell girls' dresses. The difficulty is that the girl who will wear this dress in the play is the largest girl in the class. An XL dress in China would be about a size 4 U.S. Cissi is not size 4. At each shop I try to explain the concept "bigger." Shop clerks do not speak English as a rule. They have no need for English because Wuhan is not a tourist town. I shopped for about two hours and did not see anyone my size or a single foreigner.

Finally I find a dress I think might work. I can read the price, so I take my yuan and the dress to the checkout counter. I hand both to the cashier. This sets off quite a hubbub. The two clerks confer in Chinese and then call the manager. She does speak a little English. She tells me, more or less, that the dresses are two-for-one. Pay the regular price and get two dresses. I ask if I can buy only one. "No". I buy the dress anyway (and get two dresses, of course). Clothes are very cheap here.

Then I buy four glittery headbands to which we will attach either flowers or veils (I don't have either yet). I keep shopping for about 30 more minutes when I come to the CarreFour Department Store. Soon I have potato chips (for me), napkins to go with a birthday cake we're having for a birthday party next week, and wonder of wonders, the Chinese soup spoons and bowls I've been looking for for Lori. It takes me quite awhile to choose eight Chinese soup bowls of two different patterns, eight Chinese soup spoons, a plate, and a large soup ladle. These dishes are so heavy I realize it's time to check out and take my current purchases home.

I glance around for a checkout stand. None, bu yao (not available). Finally, in my American sign language I explain "pay" and "check out" to a young Chinese shopper. He points up to the next floor. It turns out that all goods (including groceries) bought anywhere in this multilevel store are paid for on the top floor. Think a super super Walmart with check out on the top floor. No problem. I ride the moving incline (no steps) up to the top floor and bumble around until I find the check out.

There are 36 checkout stands, but only six are manned. In the neighborhood of 250-300 Chinese are trying to check out. I am the only foreigner. I know this because I looked around for the shortest line (American that I am) before taking my position. However, in China there is no "shortest" line. You just choose one of the long lines. There are about 35 people in front of me (with grocery carts filled to the brim ̀a la Costco).

After about 15 minutes, it appears that I haven't moved more than five feet. Why? Because in true Chinese style, someone just arbitrarily started a new megaline of his own that is now merging into ours. No one objects. So now I'm in worse condition than when I began. I'm also hot and my feet hurt.

Ten more minutes. That unofficial secondary line clears, and we seem to be making a little progress when a well-dressed Chinese woman starts making a new tributary on our shopping river. The housewife behind me just isn't having it. She gets out of line (which is dangerous here because people will not let you back in) and gives "well-dressed" a real talking to. "Well-dressed" gets the picture and moves elsewhere. Our assertive housewife flashes me a big smile and gets back in line with me.

Emboldened by "assertive", the woman in front of me picks up my hand-carried basket and puts it in her shopping cart. She can see that I'm losing heart in this line. She smiles too. Then "assertive" and the woman in front of me form a wire barricade with their two shopping carts to prevent anyone from entering our line. They stand me to the side out of the way. All three of us smile. NO ONE messes with us now. Soon (40 minutes from when I signed up) we are checking out.

I put my goods on the counter and pull out my wad of yuan. I think I'm finally home free. Nothing can stop me now. BUT four of the soup bowls have a barcode that will not scan so I CANNOT BUY THEM. That's right, I cannot buy the soup bowls. No price check, no sending the bagger to check on the price. And I don't blame the salesclerk. She's got millions of shoppers right behind me. Their business is as good as mine. So I give up the soup bowls. I don't actually give them up; the store clerk takes them and puts them under her counter.

"Assertive" won't have it. She really chews out the sales clerk. I know just what she's saying in Chinese: "She's been standing here all this time and now you tell her she can't buy soup bowls. She's an American besides. Ask someone the price of the bowls." No way, Chiquita. "Assertive" keeps insisting. The clerk keeps checking me out.

The clerk also rejects the soup ladle that I finally decided on. It doesn't have a barcode at all. I pay quickly before anything else happens. I brought my own bag (you bring one or you buy one here), and bag my purchases, including the dishes (no tissue paper or anything to protect the dishes).

"Assertive" gives me a fabulous smile and a wave. I do the same. Gentlemen, make no mistake about it. Women world-wide speak the same language, the language of sisterhood.

Being #1

2009-07-21T15:27:00.001-07:00

Each day when my students come to class, they present a "ticket" to class. On the ticket, they have written comments on a pre-assigned topic. A recent topic: "Some economists believe that China will surpass the U.S. as the #1 economy in the world within 10 years."

Some of my students' comments:

"China can achieve much of what it wants because of its sheer dominance in world affairs. It may make many enemies in the world."

"Maybe China will take the place of the U.S. as #1 economic power, but not in 10 years, maybe 100 years. China still has many problems to solve, including destruction of the environment, pollution, insufficient land to grow wheat and corn, and a population that is too big. Another problem is the growing gap between the rich and poor."

"No. China's technology is far behind the U.S."

"No, China cannot achieve this in 10 years. There are too many fake (knock-off) products in China. This is a large waste of raw and processed materials. Also, the U.S. is in an economic depression right now; when the U.S. overcomes it, it will develop fast and it will be difficult for China to catch up. There are so many corrupt officials in China, and some of them have escaped to foreign countries with a large amount of cash which leads to a huge loss for China."

"China is still a developing country. America is a highly developed one. There are many poor areas in China. There are also too many people in China, and this is a big problem. Many people in China don't receive a high quality education."

"Generally speaking, China has developed for only about 30 years, and its science and technology mainly depend on other developed countries. What's more, China's large population can also be the limiting factor in its efforts to be the world's largest economy." [I think many Americans believe that the Chinese must resent the "one child" policy. In fact, the opposite is true. Urban Chinese feel the policy is absolutely necessary, and the support for the policy is very widespread among urban people. In rural areas the view is different.]

We discussed the downside of being #1: lots of criticism from the rest of the world (the Chinese proverb for this is: "The higher, the colder."

Suicide in China

2009-07-21T15:25:00.001-07:00

Our objective in conversational English class is to get the students to talk English as much as possible for six hours a day. This much conversation requires hundreds of topics and games. We often talk about politics (Iraq, Tibet, Taiwan, terrorist events in NW China) and the economic recession, but each day we have specialty topics. Today's topic: "China has the highest suicide rate among women in the world."

Their written responses:

"Actually, I can't believe that. You know, nowadays, women in China get greater and greater power. Their status has also greatly improved. They have more stress, and their hearts are too weak."

"I think the causes may be these for young women:

1. Unhappy marriage and family violence

2. Sex discrimination in society makes it hard for them to get a good and suitable job.

3. High pressure in study and competition

For older women:

1. They are badly treated by their children and their hearts are hurt badly.

2. They are too poor to live on.

3. They can't bear the pain that illness brings to their body and mind."

"I think that modern women in China are faced with more problems. They have to deal with not only the problems of their family but also the problems of their work. Most of them die of the problems of their family."

"Fact: The suicide rate among women is 3 times that among men. The suicide rate in the country [rural] is much higher than that of the city. In China, especially in the country, women have a lower position than men have. It is an old concept but it still exists. The policy in the country isn't very good. It separates the city and the country. Farmers have a very low position. Society always ignores the mental problems of people who want to suicide. In the country, the tools people use to suicide are easy to get, especially agricultural chemicals. 70% of the women who suicide die of this."

University Classrooms

2009-07-13T13:11:00.001-07:00

I teach in Room A317, Building A. I take the bus about 8:00 a.m. and class starts at 8:30 (to 11:40). We break for a long lunch because the kids sleep at school, with their heads on their desks, during the noon break. The classrooms are air conditioned, but only during class hours. Someone comes around to turn the AC on after I arrive and then they turn it off when I leave. Students live in spartan unairconditioned dorm rooms. It is exceedingly hot here, and many students stay up until 12 or 1 p.m. until it cools off enough to sleep. Consequently, they are very tired the next day. At least a dozen of them sleep in the classroom from 11:45-2:15 daily. The rooms have large banks of windows, but they also have long blue curtains which, when closed, make the room very dark. We start class again at 2:30 - 5:40, and then I catch the bus back to the hotel.

There is no elevator in the four story teaching building. I teach on the third floor which is four long flights of stairs. Every teacher brings toilet paper and bottled water. In Chinese-style bathrooms toilet paper is seldom provided. Sinks are outside the bathrooms in the main hall. There is only cold water and no paper towels (this is common in China -- air-drying your hands is the rule). There are no vending machines for water or cokes or candy bars. No eating is permitted in the classrooms. My room has about 80 seats which are bolted to the floor like old-fashioned desks in the U.S. years ago. Consequently, the seating cannot be rearranged.

I have a terrific teaching assistant . Some of the T.A.'s speak very poor English and are very passive in the classroom. My T.A. Elena has a great personality, speaks better English than the students, and is "proactive" in a way that is somewhat un-Chinese. Chinese students are excellent at following instructions. They listen and do exactly what they're told to do. Elena has a quality I really admire (and need here). She can think on her feet; she brings her own ideas to the table. She can look around the room and see what needs to be done and do it without comment. If she doesn't know how to do something, she does some research and gets it done. She's part of the solution, not part of the problem. She is a Finance major and will make some Chinese firm a great employee.

Chinese values

2009-07-13T13:10:00.003-07:00

Our primary task in conversational English is to keep the students talking. They are not permitted to speak any Chinese all day, except during breaks or at lunch time. We have literally hundreds of topics we talk about, some more successful than others. Earlier this week, I asked them to make a list of Chinese values. This is a question that I think might be difficult for American kids. Independently, the students in the morning class developed a virtually identical list to the students in the afternoon class. They came up with these lists in a matter of minutes.

Harmony
Patriotism
History
Relationship (friendship and connections)
Freedom
Responsibility
Cooperation
Hard-work
Discipline
Honesty
Loyalty
Family
Good health
Good luck
Reputation
Prosperity

Then they were asked to explain the meanings of these values. They have been trained since birth to answer such questions, and their responses were eloquent and heart-felt. Harmony is the only value that elicited a little twitter of laughter, not because they don't value harmony, but because the former Chairman of the Communist Party talked ad nauseum about a "harmonious society." Harmony covers a wide range of things including harmony between individuals and harmony between "the nature" (environment) and development. Every Chinese kid knows the word "development."

In view of some serious environmental issues here (like air and water pollution), I'd say there's been a little disharmony going on. However, there are signs everywhere that they are working on these problems. They believe very firmly that new technology will fix these problems. China has had an amazing tree planting effort. This effort is designed to beautify, to improve air quality, to provide wind breaks against the sands that blow off the Gobi desert, and to provide fruit, nuts, and other products.

These are not virgin forest trees. Everyone of these millions of trees has been intentionally planted. The government provided the trees, and the people planted them -- willows, sycamore, sandalwood, evergreens, apricot and peach -- all manner of flowering and fruit trees. Along the Great Wall, some formerly very barren hill and mountainsides are gloriously green now. Imagine 3 billion hands available for planting. One of the surprises of many parts of China is the verdant vegetation.

China is the fourth largest producer of wind power in the world. Their goal is to be first. The street lights in many parts of Wuhan are powered by both solar and wind. Each light standard has both a solar panel and a wind propeller.

History has an entirely different meaning here in China. I don't think most Americans know very much history, nor do they see it as important to their daily lives. Here a 5,000+ year history has relevance in everyday life.

Relationship: Friendship is exceedingly important to the new generation of Chinese young people. Because the majority of them are only children, friends become their brothers and sisters. In addition, their cousins become pseudo-siblings. They believe that a friend is for life; they will go to great lengths to help their friends. It would be shameful to let a friend down.

Teaching English in China

2009-07-13T13:08:00.002-07:00

Most of our students are from 17-22 years old. I do have one student who is about 25. David has been at the University for 8 years, is a surgeon (urology) who has already performed more than 200 surgeries, and is finishing his Ph.D. David will be going to Presbyterian hospital in New York City in September to do research on prostate cancer. He is in class to brush up his rather good English.

Another student in my class doesn't actually attend this University. She is employed as a nurse to high ranking government officials between the ages of 60-90. Most Chinese kids choose English names for themselves. Only a few had no English names. The first day I gave the nurse the English name Brittany (the first name that came to mind). After I got to know her better, I realized that Brittany was an inappropriate name for her. Now she is Pearl (beautiful, mysterious, valuable). She is happy with her new name. Pearl is taking my class because her Chinese boyfriend is in the U.S. this year attending Cornell University. She knows his English will be very good when he comes home, so Pearl doesn't want to fall behind. Pearl's boyfriend thinks men should make the money, and he wants Pearl to be a stay-at-home Mom after they get married. A worried little frown comes over Pearl's face when she says this.

Most of the other students are freshmen or sophomores. Most have majors they did not choose. As the students put it, their majors chose them, not the other way around. In June after they graduate from Senior High School, students who want to attend a University take "the big exam." Their marks on this exam determine what's going to happen to them in this world. A really high score like 725-750 means they can go to a top University and choose their own majors. If their scores are lower, they can only attend second or third tier universities, and depending on their scores, they can only major in certain subjects. Many of them have majors that are their fourth or fifth choices. Some find their majors very boring (computer programming comes up a lot). Some find their majors far too difficult. Others luck out and get a good match. Cherry got assigned to architecture and finds she has real talent for it.

One day I suggested that we each think about our dream job. If there were no restrictions, if money were no object, if we didn't need to please our parents, if we could do anything, what would it be. Students made business cards for their dream jobs. The jobs were terrific. The surgeon David would like to be the CFO of China. Another girl chose the same job. I asked if a woman could ever be a top Communist Party official in China. "Maybe some day far in the future."

The dream job that surprised everyone was Farmer. A quiet boy named Bill said: "If I could do anything I wanted, I'd be a farmer. I'd live out in nature and be my own boss. I wouldn't have all this pressure to pass exams. I wouldn't have a job I didn't like. I could work outdoors. I told my parents I wanted to be a farmer, but because I got such high marks on the exam, they said I had to go to the University. [Chinese parents, especially rural ones, are counting on their sons, in particular, to help provide for them in their old age, so they are eager for their children to rise as high as possible in the work force.] Bill's final comment: "All this stress is not good for some people. That's why they jump off buildings."

These University students are nothing like American college students. They are much "younger," not younger in age but in experience. They are not allowed to date at all in high school. Their job is to study and pass the big exam; they pursue that agenda from early in the morning until late at night. With one exception everyone of the students I have is "sweet" (no other word for it), extraordinarily polite and respectful, and lonely for their parents whom they have not seen in months. The strong bond between parents and children is like nothing I've ever seen elsewhere.

The one student who is an exception is C.R. He is taller and generally bigger than all the other students who are very slightly built. C.R. is the class "bad boy." The other students try to avoid him even though he is smart, quite charming and good looking. C.R.'s dream job is to be a tramp and a recluse.

One day C.R. had to come to the front of the class to teach me one Chinese word that his team had selected. When he wrote the Chinese word on the board, he did not write the word his team had chosen. Instead, he wrote a word that is roughly translated "Get Lost." When he wrote the Chinese word, there was a collective gasp from the class. They knew he had done something very disrespectful. I just stood there smiling, waiting to see what would happen next. The entire class insisted that C.R. could not teach that word, and they "shamed" him into teaching me the word for getting help in an emergency. C.R. also turns every exercise or conversation to sex/women, one way or another. Fortunately, I have no trouble with C.R. His classmates discipline him for me.

My Hotel Room

2009-07-13T13:06:00.001-07:00

This really isn't Motel 6. The first day I thought it might be because the elevator did not work, the hotel Internet system was down, and during a short rainstorm, all the power in the hotel failed. These problems have been remedied (except for one elevator), and my room is quite acceptable.

The first day, I couldn't get the air conditioning to work because I didn't realize that the AC is driven by a remote control. I thought it was the TV remote. People in China do not waste power. It's really bad form to do so. They turn off lights when not in use, and they never leave the AC on when they are not home. If I leave for the University in the morning without turning the AC down or Off, someone comes to my room and shuts it off.

I have a small TV. All programs are in Chinese except for two channels. All television programming is controlled by the Chinese government group China TV. The programming is heavily monitored. I occasionally watch the Chinese news, delivered in English. In the past three weeks, I may have watched a total of 45 minutes of TV. I haven't read a single line of the book I brought. There is no time for reading or TV.

Electrical power here is 220 not 110. I finally have an adapter so I can charge my camera battery and activate my hair dryer. The hair dryer only works for a minute or two and then it shuts off. If I wait a few minutes, the hair dryer starts again.

I have a tiny refrigerator, but it isn't very cold so I can only buy food for a single day. The beds are very hard by American standards, even for someone who likes a hard bed. It works fine for me, but others have purchased air mattresses. My room is a corner room, so I have two large banks of windows looking out on the street. During the daytime, the room is bright and sunny. Other rooms have no windows and a sitting room, or other combinations of amenities. The lighting is very poor in the evening, so it is difficult to do my school work. Sometimes I use my flashlight.

A case of bottled water is delivered to my room every week. Water is not refrigerated here. Chinese people don't understand Americans' insistence on cold water, iced drinks, or cold beer. Most of us don't care and just drink warm water. We do have one fellow-traveler who insists on bringing up the cold water issue every day, and another traveler who makes a daily fuss over warm beer. These repetitive complaints are growing old. The only thing I find more annoying is the two teachers who are sitting on either side of me at the computer stations. They have been talking to me non-stop for 20 minutes as a try to write to you.

Life In Wuhan

2009-07-13T13:04:00.002-07:00

Our group leader warned us that life would really change when we arrived in Wuhan. He said the hotel was a Chinese Motel 6 and the food was, well, "troubling." In previous years many American teachers were sick in Wuhan, whether from food, water, travel fatigue, or very high temperatures and humidity. The first two weeks of this trip we have enjoyed very good hotels and excellent Chinese food. I think we all expected that this teaching assignment would be handled in the efficient way our travel tour was handled. For example, I think we imagined we would have a University campus map, a Wuhan city map, a short list of good nearby Chinese restaurants, and information regarding the location and cost of laundry, xeroxing, and computer services. In fact, none of these things were available. This has been good news and bad news. The bad news: Each person has to pioneer a solution to each problem unless he happens to run into another teacher who has already solved the problem.

The good news is this: The necessity of solving all these logistics problems by ourselves has forced each of us to learn the ropes. Although this trial and error method has used up considerable time and manpower, I can easily get around on my own now. I can hail a cab in this traffic, direct him to my destination (even though cab drivers speak no English), and pay the driver correctly. I found a copy place that I can walk to to reproduce teaching materials (it is located outside in an alley and has one copy machine). The price is very right, and the owner knows me now so we have no trouble making the transaction.

I shop in the local supermarket for Chinese peach yogurt (terrific), Australian oatmeal, bananas, tangerines, and some powdered cappucino. The best and cheapest beer is Snow or Tsingtao (we drink beer because bottled water is seldom available in restaurants, and we're really tired of soft drinks). Tea is always served, but it is often very different from tea served in America. Coffee is seldom served except is 5-star places. Fortunately, I brought some instant coffee with me. I also know that the closest Starbucks is about 2 miles away, exactly 9.4 yuan by cab. We often know when we've arrived at a specific destination by checking the cab fare. For example, the Italian restaurant is 7 yuan from our hotel. All the signage is in Chinese (no English sub-titles).

We've all figured out that leaving our laundry at the hotel desk is 3 times as expensive as walking about 500 yards to the tiny outdoor laundry nearby. We also now know that you must say "wash and iron" or just "wash."

In short, after a week, I wear clean clothes, get around Wuhan independently, shop for the things I need, and have the supplies I need for teaching.

Wuhan

2009-07-13T13:03:00.001-07:00

I arrived in Wuhan a week ago today. I have had no opportunity to post to the China blog until now. Our work schedule is intense, and we have many daily logistics problems to resolve. In addition, our hotel has only three Internet computers which are in use 24/7. Many Chinese businessmen and African tourists are staying here, and everyone is writing home. The three keyboards all have blank keys. The keyboards have been used so much that the letters have been completely rubbed off. If you're not a touch typist, you're in trouble. All the computer screens are in Chinese, so it's sort of an exercise in Braille [I just tried to spellcheck "Braille." A drop-down menu of 12 Chinese options displayed. No spell-checking today.]

Wuhan is a city of about 9 million people in Hubei Province (60 million people in this province alone. That's about 1/5th of the entire U. S. population). The city is enormous in area and divided into three parts (commercial, cultural, and industrial). The Yangtze River and its largest tributary (the Han) meander through the city, making it a real waterfront town. Wuhan is the only city in China that has developed on both sides of the Yangtze, requiring an immense double-decker bridge (cars one level, railroad below). In many places, the river is 800 meters wide (immense). In addition, one of the largest lakes in China is spead throughout the city. In the U.S. expensive lakefront homes would line all these waterways. Here most waterfront is public space with many beautiful parks and lotus blossom ponds (think immense water lillies with leaves the size of basketballs and flowers the size of grapefruit). The important industries of Wuhan are steel/iron production and cars (Citroen cabs and Hondas). Pepsi, Coke, and Budweiser are also produced here. Wuhan has the first Budweiser plant built in China (because they have such good water here). [No comment on the latter.]

The best way I can describe Wuhan: It's not New York, San Francisco, New Orleans, L.A. or Las Vegas. It's more like a really big Des Moines, Iowa.

Ripped from the Headlines 2

2009-07-13T13:01:00.001-07:00

EDUCATION: The local government in Wuhan, Hubei province [I'm teaching in Wuhan] recently busted an organized racket of buying and selling dissertations. The company had hired some 80 people to produce academic papers, taking hints from over 200 published journals, for paying customers. The boss of the firm said his was only one of many companies of this kind prospering in the Chinese eduction market. [Chinese University students are under terrific pressure from their parents to succeed. The parents' 'social security' in retirement depends on their child's success. More on this later.]

HOME SALES: Sales of existing homes are booming in China. In Beijing alone, some 100,000 units have been sold already this year, double the number in all of 2008. [In China "home" usually means an apartment or condo that is purchased.]

AUSPICIOUS DAYS AND LUCKY NUMBERS: China has seen a steady fall in its maternal mortality rate thanks to efforts to improve healthcare for new mothers. But this is not the only trend changing among pregnant women. Many now opt to give birth via Cesarean section so their child arrives on an auspicious day according to the Chinese lunar calendar, while some have even had the operation two months early on the advice of feng shui masters.

A vehicle license plate with the number D88888 was auctioned off for the record price of 100,100 yuan ($14,654) in Hainan province. The buyer is a businessman who felt it was worth the large sum of money. [You might imagine that only very rural people or less educated people are driven by these beliefs. In fact, beliefs like this are very widespead, and seem to the Chinese not incompatible with their unflagging belief in the ability of high tech to solve all problems.]

Finally, I was thrilled to read in China Daily that Roger Federer won Wimbledon.

Ripped from the Headlines

2009-07-13T12:55:00.003-07:00

H1N1 "Beijing reported its first 'mass' [quotes are mine] infection of the H1N1 flu at a primary school yesterday. Seven pupils between 8 and 10 years old were confirmed infected with the virus Tuesday night.

[In a separate article] "A woman reported to be the first in China to die of H1N1 was actually electrocuted while taking a shower in the hospital last Wednesday."

"General Motors may be struggling mightily in the US, restructuring under bankruptcy protection, but the automaker has harvested a half-year sales record in China, where it promised to 'continue to invest in heavily'. GM China Group yesterday reported that sales in China increased 38 percent from the same period last year."

Oil: "The successful joint bid by BP and China National Petroleum Corp to develop an oil field in Iraq has offered unique opportunities for the Chinese company to tap crude reserves in the oil-rich nation. Iraq on Tuesday made its first auction of major oil contracts since the 2003 US-led invasion. The BP-CNCP group beat a bid from a consortium by Exxon Mobil and Malaysia's Petronas for the oil field."

Education: "The number of universities in China has gone up from about 50 in 1978 to nearly 2,000 now. The number of students on campus has increased from 300,000 in 1978 to about 20 million today."

Watermelon: "A watermelon grower got a slice of the pie when he displayed his 22.22 kilogram fruit that won a prize during the Fourth Watermelon Festival in Henan province. He earned 1,000 yuan during the auction." [Some perspective: 20 kilograms (44 pounds) is the maximum weight of luggage a passenger can check on a Chinese domestic airline flight.]

Foreigners: "Foreign business leaders and scientists are among a group of professionals who can extend their residency permits under a new policy designed to attract more talent to Shanghai. The policy, which took effect yesterday, allows a greater number of overseas investors and professionals working in the city to extend their residency permits to five years."

The Hutong

2009-07-03T08:10:00.005-07:00

The Chinese word "hutong" means "tiny alley." By extension, "hutong" includes the ancient courtyard houses along these alleys. The very old sections of Chinese cities like Beijing are filled with these tiny alleys bordered by clusters of houses often inhabited by three or more generations of the same family. The grandparents always get the best dwelling in the housing cluster. This alley system is so complex that taxi drivers often cannot find specific addresses. Only a very local postman can deliver the mail in these old parts of town. The overall Beijing map is updated every four months.

Our guide commented that you can tell something about the difference between the American and Chinese character by looking at their homes. He says, "An American's house is out in the open for everyone to see. You know about how many rooms the house has, what car the owner drives, if he has a swimming pool. Americans like to 'show off.' By contrast, a Chinese house is completely walled and covered with vegetation. It takes much longer to know these inhabitants."

We took pedicabs through a hutong today and ate lunch in a very modest home there. The owner rents the house from the government for a very modest fee. The homeowner cooked lunch outside and then brought it inside for us to eat. Chinese people almost always eat at round tables with a glass lazy Susan in the middle. The meal is always made up of multiple dishes (8-20 or so) that are shared among all guests. The beauty of this arrangement is that even a Tucson girl can always find something good to eat. To date, I have not eaten anything that is "alive" and nothing in the insect family (at least not to my knowledge).

After lunch, we had a cricket master (not cricket the game, cricket the insect) demonstrate cricket fighting (similar to cock fighting although on a miniature scale). People raise, feed and care for crickets as pets in tiny boxes. The Chinese are enthusiastic gamblers, and they bet on cricket fights.

A Story for Our Sons

2009-07-03T08:10:00.003-07:00

Our guide in the Forbidden City showed us a gorgeous four foot tall golden pagoda with ornate carvings, pearls and jade, one of the precious treasures of China. He told us this story:

The Emperor who commissioned the golden pagoda loved his mother very much. He did everything he could to make her happy. One day she was distressed because she found some hair from her head on her pillow. She was sad because she was growing older and afraid all her hair would fall out. The Emperor commissioned the golden pagoda for his mother and had it placed by her bedside. His mother asked her son why he bought her the pagoda. The Emperor picked several hairs from his mother's pillow and placed them inside an opening in the pagoda. He turned to his mother and said, "This priceless golden pagoda is not worth as much to me as a single hair from your head."

Another Little Story about Guanxi

2009-07-03T08:09:00.004-07:00

In an earlier post, I mentioned the Chinese concept of "guanxi" or "relationship." This little story illustrates the idea perfectly. Our Beijing guide Scott graduated from Peking [Beijing] University, the Harvard of China. Now he has a son who is in the second grade, and Scott hopes his son will also attend the same University. So, how does Scott assure that this will happen?

There is a primary school, a middle school, and a high school affiliated with the University. Children who attend these schools have a significantly better chance of being accepted at the University, so the first step is to get the boy into the University's primary school. As luck would have it (and "luck" is a major player in Chinese thinking), Scott's parents know the female principal of the primary school.

Scott pays her a visit, knowing that the appropriate bribe is 20,000 yuan, but after considerable coy negotiations, Scott ascertains that he cannot pay her directly because everyone knows his parents and the principal are friends. It wouldn't look good (their expression is "keeping clean"). So Scott hires a middleman who pays the bribe in cash with no receipt, and assurances all around that everyone will keep their mouths shut.

According to Scott, everyone pays bribes and often takes them. It's a way of doing business and accomplishing certain goals. The system reminds me of my friend Mary Gillilan's description of how the city of Chicago operated years ago. Things weren't all on the up-and-up, but things got done, and in the main, Chicago was well run.

One of China's most serious problems is corruption which takes many forms (like bribery and adulterated or shoddy products like toothpaste, baby food, or cough syrup, primarily cheap products sold to the very poorest people). The Chinese government launched a nationwide anti-corruption hotline last week. More than 11,000 calls have already been received about job-related crimes and alleged corruption among government officials. This hotline marks a new stance by the State government, welcoming the public to ferret out government corruption like bribery, dereliction of duties, unlawful searches, illegal detention, and unlawful coercion of confessions. There was such a big response to the hotline the first day, their website froze.

Digging Your Way to China

2009-07-03T08:09:00.003-07:00

One of our guides told us that when he was a kid, he'd go out in the family garden and dig big holes. His mother told him to cut it out, or he'd dig his way to America. If you look at a globe, you will see that China and the U.S. are almost directly opposite through the center of the earth. The Chinese word for America means "beautiful country" (like a country you'd see in a dream).

The American Middleman

2009-07-03T08:08:00.003-07:00

You probably aren't aware that you are receiving my posts Chinese style, i.e., through a middleman. In the U.S., the Internet is wide open; in China, the government controls some aspects of the Internet which means that some sites cannot be accessed here (like parts of U Tube, Face Book, and Google). Google has been in something of a struggle with China this past year over the banning of some Internet content. Consequently, I cannot access my own China blog here in China (it's a Google blog); so I "hired" a middleman, my son Christian, to ferry my email messages to you. When he gets my email, he converts it to a blog posting.

I have realized in the past two weeks that it is a completely unrealistic task to report on China. It is an amazingly complex place. The best I can do is report various sights and incidents. Our schedule has been very demanding. We are often up at 5:30 a.m. and busy until 8:30 or 9 in the evening. Many days it is over 100 degrees (today 104), and we do a lot of walking so we're tired at the end of the day. Add to that the complexities and expense of using the Internet. Many of the teachers brought their own laptops so they can use them wireless in the hotel lobby for free. I didn't bring mine, so I use the business center which is about $16 for 50 minutes. In other parts of the world, I've always been able to find cheap Internet shops or cafes, but that isn't easy here unless you have your own computer.

I have messages for some of my friends:

Hud: One of the people I'm travelling with is your twin. You'd be absolutely amazed. He founded the Wichita Marathon and has run it every year for the past 30 years. He's in great shape just like you. When you and Jill come to Tucson to visit, I'm going to get the two of you together. The resemblance is remarkable.

Myrna and Gloria: The Journal is terrific; I use it every day.

Karen: Yoga for Travellers has been a hit.

Rick: I've seen the finest arhitectural model ever on an unimaginable scale -- a model if the inner rings of Beijing, building by building. Our guide has a degree in urbal planning, and he participated in the construction of this model.

Miscellaneous note for dog lovers: People who live inside the inner rings of Beijing cannot have large dogs, and they cannot let any dogs outside during the daytime (an effort to keep the streets clean).

Another Post from Beijing

2009-07-01T10:26:00.003-07:00

We flew from Shanghai to Beijing on a full flight (primarily young Chinese children who are on school break). About 20 minutes outside Beijing the air got very turbulent (due to low-rise mountains in the neighborhood), and each time the plane lurched, the kids would all scream like they were on a roller coaster.

Beijing (formerly Peking)

Never have I been so surprised by a city. Shanghai is all glitz, glamour, and the high economic life; Beijing, a city of 17M people, is a more sedate, really beautiful world class travel destination. Our Tucson group leader, who has been to China five times, says Beijing was beautiful even before the 2008 Olympics rehab. Shanghai is a very dense, high-rise city with very little vegetation; Beijing, by contrast, is a lower-rise city that covers a much larger area. Beijing has beautiful tree lined streets and is the center of culture and politics in China.

Today it was 100 degrees, and the sky was as blue as the best Tucson day. There was no smog. Beijing is a complete homerun on a day like this (I spent four days here and every day was just as nice). During the Olympics, local residents could drive their cars into the city only every other day. Now each car is prohibited from driving into the city one day a week (based on license plate number). The locals love this blue sky that the Olympic rules brought them, and they are determined to hang on to some of it. Naturally, it's not always so blue and beautiful. Only about one-third of the days of the year are like this.

Another plus in Beijing -- the traffic here, while intense, operates in a very sane manner. Drivers stay in their own lanes, and there are few close calls.

We are staying in a splendid 5-star hotel right near the Olympic venue. I walked a few blocks to Baskin Robbins after dinner and I could see the Olympic "bird's nest" while I ate my ice cream. The headline in yesterday's China News: "Downturn, flu take heavy toll on big hotels." Occupancy has gone from 90% to 45% because of the recession and the Chinese perceptions of H1N1. They believe (thanks to CNN and the BBC) that the flu is rampant in Mexico, the U.S. and Japan. They do not believe us when we say it was something of a non-event in the U.S. (with no disrespect to those who have been ill). China has only about 750 cases and no deaths. [16 of our teachers will be quarantined for six days when they arrive this weekend. None of them is sick. They are quarantined because they have not been in China for at least a week before starting this teaching job. It's a political matter really.] This means that the rest of us will have classes with far more students than anticipated. This will be difficult in classes that are interactive in nature. In addition, we brought teaching materials for fewer students. Nonetheless, we are a hardy and willing bunch and will do our best.

Even in a super hotel like this one, there is a conspicuous sign telling guests not to drink the tap water. Local residents do not drink tap water either. Apparently, no one drinks Beijing water which is in short supply anyway. We drink TsingTao or Snow beer which is tasty but usually warm. If you're into diet drinks (called "light" in China), forget it. They are hard to come by in restaurants. Chinese people are uniformly slim. I doubt there is a Chinese character for "diet."

We spent the entire 100 degree day today (with the help of sun umbrellas from the hotel) visiting the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. The entire complex is about 200 acres and 900 or so pavillions. Although it appeared beautifully restored to us, the artisans are only five years into a 17 year restoration project. One of the very noticeable attributes of the Chinese is a high tolerance for long-term projects -- 5 years, 20 years, 200 years (the Great Wall took 300 years). They are blessed with amazing patience and the ability to take the long-view. China is not so interested in the current quarterly results.

Normally the Forbidden City would be crawling with foreign tourists. Not so this year. Most of the tourists are Chinese. Many were taking pictures of us, not the other way around. Many women walk right up to me (because I am tall and blonde), and put their arms around me so their husbands can take pictures of us together.

Well, we learned a lot today about all those emperors and dynasties. When you have a 5,000+ year history, there is a lot to talk about. Those Emperors aren't too different from many of our politicians. They just operated on a much bigger scale. As many as 1,000,000 slaves plus 100,000 artisans worked to build the Forbidden City complex. The Emperors were so very fond of their concubines. Only the most beautiful and talented girls were chosen from all over China. Some Emperors had as many as 3,000 concubines, some of whom they never even met. The last Emperor, just prior to 1911 (the end of the Emperors and the beginning of the Republic of China) had 56 concubines. The girls represented a considerable expense, so upon the death of the Emperor, the concubines were sometimes buried alive with the Emperor or forced to commit suicide.

The complex is called the Forbidden City because the average citizen wasn't allowed to enter. If he did, he was summarily executed. Only the Emperor, his family and entourage, the eunuchs who served the Emperor, and the top generals went to the Forbidden City. Today it is called the Palace Museum. It is a truly world class museum, housing China's five top treasures and a million or so antiquities, most one-of-a-kind and some "priceless." The top price ever received for a Chinese porcelain at Christy's auction house was $30,000,000.

Treasures to an American might be gold or diamonds. To the Chinese, the top treasures are jade, porcelain, and sandalwood (jade being the most precious). The very best jade actually comes from Burma (now Myanmar). In Beijing our guide Scott (most Chinese choose an English name, in addition to their Chinese names) is married to a Burmese radio personality. They have gone into Burma to buy jade and smuggled it out. The Burmese charge extravagant customs duties when jade is taken out of the country, so the Chinese try to avoid these taxes. Chinese people say there are three illegal activities in Burma: the green, the white, and the black, i.e., jade, drugs, and gun powder.

Scott is an interesting fellow. His parents are both professors at Peking (Beijing) University, the Harvard of China. There are ten top universities in China, four in Beijing, one in Shanghai and five others throughout the country. Some 400,000 students each year pass the qualifying exams for the top universities. Scott easily passed and was qualified for Peking University. However, just passing the exams and having sufficient money to attend does not guarantee you a place. You also need "guanxi." It is pronounced "guan zhi" which in American parlance means "connections." The Chinese would call it "relationship." Because Scott's parents have money and teach at the University, he was able to get his degree in urban planning.

Scott describes his family as "middle class," but it seems clear that they are upper middle class by our standards. Scott has a five bedroom condo (unheard of in these parts), and he has traveled all over the world, including the U.S. and Europe. He speaks English fluently. However, the most interesting thing about him is that he was part of the group of college students who staged the protest and hunger strike in Tian na men Square 20 years ago. The protest began at Peking University, and Scott and Mao's grandson were among the 30 or so students at the heart of the protest. He told us his story before we entered the Square today. Thousands of Chinese were lined up to see the crystal coffin containing the body of Mao. The body has decayed by now, so what they are seeing is, in part, a wax figure. Many Chinese carry beautiful pastel sun umbrellas, so the sight of thousands of colored umbrellas was quite spectacular. They wait two or more hours in the hot sun to see Mao.

Tian an men Square is paved with concrete pavers, each of which will accomodate two people standing shoulder to shoulder. The entire square will hold 1.2 M people. It is the largest public square in the world.

Miscellaneous China Notes

2009-07-01T10:25:00.001-07:00

In China, palaces and temples are important sites. Today our guide was talking about I.M. Pei, the famous Chinese American architect who designed the addition to the Louvre "palace" in Paris.

News from China Daily Business Section:

China's plan to combat the recession:

"Measures to encourage spending include an improved social security net, reduced precautionary savings, imposition of minimum wage requirements and increased income for rural and low-income households through fiscal transfer." "The Chinese government intends to shift to producing for the domestic market instead of export-oriented industries."

[There is much talk here about shifting to a new international "super" currency as an alternative to the current U.S. dollar dominated global monetary system.]

"China became the 'world's factory' with its export-driven development model which made China's economy vulnearable to global economic fluctuations. The asymmetry between China's status as a trade griant and its obscure currency is increasingly sweeping."

China's gold reserves:

In May China's gold reserves had risen to 1,054 tons by the end of 2008, up from 600 tons in 2003. That makes China the fifth largest holder of gold reserves in the world. Only six countries hold more than 1,000 tons.

Suzhou

2009-06-29T13:20:00.006-07:00

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

2009-06-29T13:16:00.004-07:00

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

2009-06-27T18:33:00.006-07:00

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

2009-06-27T18:31:00.003-07:00

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

2009-06-26T08:39:00.002-07:00

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

2009-06-10T08:44:00.010-07:00

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.

You are Enough, Just as You Are - May 9, 2009

2009-05-09T15:53:00.004-07:00

Today we had our first (1 of 3) training session for teaching in China. Thirty-five or so teachers showed up. Some will go in the July group, others in September. Several people who have taught in China in the past gave presentations and answered questions. One odd little bit of information: No backless shoes are permitted in the classroom (on teachers or students). Now I'm a girl who has always loved backless shoes. When I got home, I look in my closet: 15 pairs of backless shoes; three pairs with backs, including one pair of walking shoes, one pair golf shoes, and one pair general shoes.

I don't really know anyone in the teaching group. Many are going with a spouse, others with a friend. What most have in common is a good education and extensive teaching and travel experience. One fellow is a full professor in physics at the U of A; one gal is a chemistry professor, one the lead reading teacher for English as a Second Language in the Pima Community College District. Five or six have taught in China one or more times. One person uses technology extensively in teaching (software, videos, graphics, music). I felt like I did the first time I took a golf lesson.

On the drive home after the training, I sat in my car thinking, "Am I really going to be able to do this." But as the day passed, I felt better. I found myself thinking: I'm not competing with anyone. I don't need to teach the way others do. If singing or deep breathing aren't activities I'm comfortable with, I don't need to do them.

There was a time in my life when I had a small note taped to my bathroom mirror for several years. The note said: "You are enough. Just as you are."

Learning Chinese

2009-05-07T11:02:00.006-07:00

I must have been crazy to sign up for 5 Chinese language lessons prior to leaving for China. What was I thinking? For a Westerner, literacy in Chinese means about five years of intense scholarship. Five weeks -- probably not.

What is so complicated about Chinese? Well, several hundred thousand things. For example, Chinese is one of the rare non-alphabetic languages. Think about that: no alphabet, hence, no alphabetizing of things like telephone books. The Chinese language has many thousands of individual characters that represent thousands of sounds. Chinese is a monosyllabic language. To organize all these sounds, Chinese has a concept called "radicals" which are fixed components of characters and the number of strokes added to give them meaning.

Add to this, the concept of tones. There are four tones in Chinese speech. A tone has to do with whether the sound is spoken "flat," or goes up or down or both up and down. The same word spoken in a different "tone" often has a completely different meaning, so it is possible for a foreigner to say some very amusing things inadvertently.

The upside of Chinese is that it lacks the complications of grammar that afflict English. In addition, Chinese is not troubled by:

Verb tense or number (Chinese has neither) Verb variations like I run, I ran, I have run, for example, are not used in Chinese.
Word endings like plurals (book, books)
Pronouns that indicate gender (you'd be surprised how often sex matters in conversation). Chinese has only one syllable ("ta") for all gender pronouns. You determine whether it's "he" or "she" from the context.

I took the first Chinese lesson last week in the back room of the Old Peking restaurant. Peking is the former name of the city of Beijing. Beijing is one of the few words I learned to pronounce that evening. The next time you see me, I'll say Beijing for you. It is not "bay-zhing." As for the rest of the Chinese lesson, it was a real eye-opener for me.

The teacher, Jennifer Johnston, is excellent. She lived in Taiwan for 12 years and is happily married to a Chinese American. She took him to China for the first time. The problem isn't Jennifer, it's me. Unless she is looking right at me and I can see how she is forming the words with her tongue and lips, I'm hopeless at imitating what she is saying. And the tones that characterize Chinese are hard to replicate.

Nonetheless, I'm enjoying Jennifer's very practical commentary on life in China and how it compares (very favorably) to life in America. The most useful part of this class was the reminder it gave me of how Chinese students will feel when I do vocal drills with them in July. You feel like a simpleton when you can't make even basic remarks like, "Good morning. How are you?" And, you hope the teacher won't call on you to recite individually. This brief Chinese lesson was primarily successful in the humility department. I am told that my Chinese students will be very reluctant to speak individually initially, and I'm going to be very careful to keep it simple and non-threatening.

The only Chinese that I'm dead set on learning is, "Where is the ladies' room?" (which by the way is likely to have only a Chinese character on the door).

Greetings to Friends and Family: May 9, 2009

2009-05-07T09:53:00.007-07:00

I've mentioned to some of you that I am going to China for 6 weeks this summer. My primary mission is to teach conversational English and American culture at a Science/Technology university in Wuhan. I am also going to see some of China before the teaching assignment begins. My only previous exposure to China was a brief visit to Hong Kong en route to India several years ago. Britain peacefully handed over the British-leased territory of Hong Kong to China in 1997; Hong Kong is, nonetheless, not at all representative of mainland China where I'll be going this time.

In short, I'll be a rookie in China, and a rookie teaching English as a second language. I've just realized this week the challenges that are ahead, and I'm beginning to do a little worrying.

Things I am worrying about (both imagined and real):

Being assigned a "middle" seat in coach class on a 14-hour flight from L.A. to Shanghai.
Getting quarantined in a Beijing or Shanghai hotel because I come from a state with some documented swine flu cases. China had a serious SARS scare about 7 years ago, and they are taking no chances this time (including thermal detection in the major airports to spot people with fevers). This past Friday the entire Metropark Hotel in Hong Kong (about 300 guests/staff) were quarantined for a week.
Getting "Chinese bronchitis." I'm one of those people who can get a 3-month respiratory infection here in the U.S. by just walking through Safeway. In China I can add a few hundred coal power plants and some amazing sandstorms blowing in from the Gobi desert. Bill Holm, a college friend of mine, wrote a book about his experience teaching in China in the late 1980's. He commented: "The whole crowd is phlegming, rasping and spitting...I thought of giving up smoking in China, but decided against it. It's better for you than breathing."
Eating all foods as provided without complaint. I appear to be the only person in this teaching group who doesn't routinely use chopsticks (I discovered this in their company at a Chinese restaurant last week). As compulsive as I am, I immediately went to the Dragon Palace this week, bought a take-out Chinese lunch, and requested chopsticks. I practiced at home and am improving. Although not generally a picky eater, I have my problems with eating unusual foods. For example, I had some trouble in Peru eating roasted guinea pig (quite a holiday delicacy there) after I had seen the little rodents rolling around together inside Andean homes. I keep reading about Chinese foods like eels with chilies, peppered pig ears, fungus soup, pickled lotus root, hundred year old eggs, or duck livers. Yak, dog, and cat are also featured in some provinces. In some social settings in China, it would be very rude not to "eat it all." In other situations, it would be rude to "eat it all" because that would imply that not enough food was provided.
Getting impatient. I'm the original can-do girl. If there's a problem, I think I can solve it. A few phone calls, letters, calling in favors, begging mercy, or paying a little more. In the end, it's fixed. In China, impatience, open-faced anger, or insistence is viewed as a character flaw. Get in line, take your turn, accept inefficiency, and learn the meaning of "mei you" (not have). I am told the Chinese are exceptionally polite and expect foreigners to be the same (a good idea in any case).
Not succeeding in the classroom. This is my most significant worry. I haven't taught anything in about 12 years. I hope I haven't lost my touch. I taught freshman English at A.S.U. in 1964-1966 and American Literature at the University of Maine in 1967. In 1985 my friend Janet and I started a computer training company that trained thousands of people. But almost all of those students spoke English as their first language. I'm concerned that I won't be understood by Chinese students, or worse yet, that I won't be able to understand them. I don't want to disappoint Teach for Friendship, the organization that is sponsoring me for this assignment.

But, the better part of me says that all will be well. I won't get sick. I'll be sturdy, cheerful, and willing. My old talent for teaching will resurface, and my Chinese students will speak more fluent English because of my efforts. Everyone tells me that the Chinese are polite, warm, kind, helpful, hospitable, and very charming. I hope I can imitate that model.

"The lesson to be learned from these [culture] shocks is to cultivate modesty and curiosity and to eschew evangelism and certainty."

-- Bill Holm in Coming Home Crazy