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Just got in yesterday night. :D

The China Files Wrap Up (II)

August 31 - the Chinese tour

The biggest tourist draw in Xian is Emperor Qin's tomb and his army of terra cotta warriors. We knew we would probably have to take a tour for this one, and picked up a brochure for one at the hotel. Kate went down to talk to the front desk staff (it was always easier for her to talk to the Chinese people, since if I tried they'd just expect me to speak Chinese). She ended up booking a tour for us--but a Chinese one, with no English-speaking guide. It actually turned out to be a great experience.

The tour group

The rest of the tour group was absolutely fascinated with us, and a couple of the women especially were really friendly towards Kate. They couldn't say much, of course, but they spent a lot of time smiling at her.

There was one fellow in the group with decent English. He was fairly old, and one heck of a curmudgeon. He didn't take no crap from nobody. He shouted at the tour guide when there were delays, when they took us to a pointless tourist trap, when a tour stalled on something boring. He walked out of the restaurant we stopped at because it wasn't up to his standards, and managed to get the majority of the rest of the group to go along with him. (Kate, who had the misfortune of visiting the washroom at the place, agreed with his appraisal.)

As I think I mentioned in an earlier post, some of the poorer people around tourist areas collect empty bottles from tourists in order to make a little cash. Well, at one point in the tour we were approached by an especially aggressive fellow who wanted our bottle despite the fact that we were still drinking it. Before I could really react, the old guy noticed what was happening, and apparently the situation infuriated him. He ran up spitting out a long string of angry Chinese until the other fellow ran away. For a moment I thought it might come to blows, but the old guy just turned around, I gave him my best "xie xie", he flashed a crooked grin, and we were on our way.

A taste of nationalism

This is one thing we would have missed with an English-speaking guide. Part of the Chinese-language tour took us to the site of the Xian Incident, where Chiang Kai-shek was captured and temporarily imprisoned by his own generals, who thought he was too obsessed with fighting the Communists despite the threat in Northern China posed by the Japanese. The average Westerner probably doesn't care much about this period of Chinese history, but Kate and I thought it was great. If nothing else, was an interesting glimpse into Chinese nationalism as cultivated by the Communist government.

The villa where Chiang was staying has been preserved, complete with the desks where he and his assistants worked, the beds they slept in, and the bullet holes in the walls. The generals responsible for capturing Chiang have, I suppose, been hailed as heroes in the history books; you could, for a fee, get your picture taken with a look-alike of one them (Zhang, I think it was) in a replica of his office.

When the villa was attacked, Chiang was alerted by the gunfire and fled up into the nearby mountains. He must have been quite the athlete, because he sure made it a long way. We got to see the place where he was finally captured, several meters up a crack in the face of a steep part of the mountain. Chains have been put in so that tourists can climb up to the very spot where Chiang was spotted, and there was a mob of people struggling their way up and down so that their relatives could take their pictures at this historic location. (The old guy mentioned above went up all the way.)

The Chinese tourists were every bit as enthusiastic about visiting the site of Chiang Kai-shek's capture as a little kid would be about going to Disneyland. This level of nationalism is remarkable. You don't see Canadian tourists flocking to the Plains of Abraham to get their pictures taken with someone dressed up to look like General Wolfe or the Marquis de Montcalm. (Is there a similar phenomenon in America? Nationalism can be pretty potent in the US, but I'm not sure if the same could be said for interest in American history.)

Song and dance

The tour took us to a pyramid-shaped tomb of someone or another--I think it was Emperor Qin's, but I'm not totally certain since there are apparently a whole bunch of pyramids in the area. In any case, we had to wait some time in the sun while some dancers went through this ridiculous dance routine complete with replica Tang-era costumes (made of polyester, nylon, and fake fur) and plastic axes and swords. (We thought this would be the low point of absurdity on our trip. Oh, how wrong we turned out to be.)

Terra terra cotta cotta

Archaeologists are still digging out and reassembling Qin's terra cotta army, and tourists can take a look at the work in progress. We decided to ditch the tour guide at the dig site, and walk around the complex on our own. (We ended up feeling pretty bad about this when we met back up with the group, and the tour guide apologized to us, her "foreign friends", for having such bad English.) The site is split up into museum exhibits and a series of pits in various states of excavation. In one tent, you get to see rows and rows of fully assembled soldiers and horses, while in others you get to see legs sticking halfway out of the ground, horses in 4 pieces, and whatnot.

On our way out, the tour guide stopped us and made a little speech. It was pretty clear what she was talking about, since just outside the gate was a phalanx of souvenir-hawkers, most of them brandishing miniature replicas of terra cotta warriors. Being with a Chinese tour group really paid off for us here, I think, since we got harrassed about 10% as much as probably would have been if we'd been in a group of westerners. We let our Chinese companions break through the ranks of the hawkers (which they did with ease) and we just followed in their wake. One guy with a small terra cotta warrior set shouted out some prices at Kate--I can't remember what they were, but I think that in the end we pretty much could've gotten the whole set for about a quarter. (So if you're in China and you're thinking of buying some of these things, keep in mind how much they're actually worth.)

The China Files Wrap Up (I)

Previous installments:
Arrival
August 26 - Beijing
August 27, 28 - Beijing
August 29 - Beijing to Xian.

Picking up where I left off:

August 30 - Xian

We spent the day running and taxiing around Xian. Here are some highlights:

Great Goose Pagoda

This is a big pagoda, with I forget how many levels. You can go inside and climb up, which we did, and once we were up a ways we were able to look out onto the construction site adjoining the pagoda grounds, where they were putting up concrete replicas of Ming era buildings, because I guess the pagoda itself isn't impressive enough for tourists. (See some of of the finished products here.)

Shaanxi History Museum

A good museum, as far as museums go. Traced the history of the area from about a dozen millennia ago or so, which was cool, although we'd already seen a lot of the same kind of material at other museums. Lots of focus on Qin and his crazy terra cotta army (more on which later).

Small Goose Pagoda

Actually more photogenic than its Greater counterpart, I thought. Picture here, with me at the bottom being really amazed or something.

Random food

We had lunch at a restaurant that we picked pretty randomly, without any help from the guidebook. We guessed that the restaurant specialized in local Muslim cuisine (there was a sign behind the counter displaying what looked like Arabic calligraphy), but we weren't sure (for reasons to be discussed shortly).

The menu had no English whatsoever, so I had to muddle through by picking out kanji here and there. I managed to locate tea, and ordered what I thought would be green tea, but the waitress shook her head when I pointed to it, and pointed at a different kind of tea instead. I decided to go along with her suggestion. It turned out to be camomile. It could be that the waitress thought it would be more to the taste of westerners (actually we really like green tea, and kind of dislike camomile), or maybe it was just that the camomile was the most expensive kind of tea on the menu.

I also managed to pick out a couple of dishes, with decent results. When we got the food, we were duly impressed, especially by this one dish. It had some sort of tomato-based chili sauce, these really tender potatos, and about two dozen cloves of garlic. Mmmm, garlic. Unfortunately, there were also these little bits of meat--bits of meat which seemed to include bones shaped and arranged like ribs--tiny, 5mm wide ribs. I'd been pretty sure that the description of the dish had the character for cow in it, but inspecting the meat led me to doubt my understanding of the menu. I must admit, I'm no expert on bovine anatomy, but, as far as I know, no part of your average cow's body matches the above description in the slightest.

We briefly considered the possibility that we were eating cat or something, but we were pretty sure that cat isn't Halal.

So, when you're in China, don't be afraid to stray off the beaten path and eat at random restaurants, because they can be really good, and there's a chance you'll get to eat some kind of meat you've never eaten before, some kind of meat that you'll never be able to identify, nay, not unto the end of your days.

Traffic

We climbed up a number of buildings that provided a good view of the city. The Bell Tower, for example, stands in the center of the old city, with main roads heading out from it in the four cardinal directions. Here's a good representation of Chinese traffic (if you click on the picture, you can zoom in and see more detail). I think the chaos pretty much speaks for itself. Note the number of cop cars (see the red and blue lights) cruising along in the midst of the chaos.

Great Mosque

This didn't merit much mention in the guidebook, but we thought it was sort of the highlight of the day. Among the virtues of the place was that it has yet to be turned into a tourist trap (the local Muslim community might object to that sort of thing). The grounds were arranged like a Chinese courtyard, but instead of being built along the standard south-to-north axis, it was east-to-west, facing Mecca. The structures were a seamless mix of Chinese and Arabic architecture.

The fellow who took our tickets at the main entrance to the place was obviously mentally disabled. Now that I think about it, he might have been the only seriously mentally disordered person I saw during my whole time in Asia who was leading a half-way productive life. (I seem to recall reading somewhere that Islamic tradition has a more charitable view of mental disorder than is common in many other cultures.)

The Muslim motif continues

We had dinner at a Muslim restaurant, this time one recommended by the guidebook. It was good food, but we feel the guidebook's write-up of the place was a little incomplete. Here's my tip to travellers: if you're in a Muslim restaurant (possibly only in a Muslim restaurant in China, or maybe only in this part of China in particular), and they give you a bowl with a round of dense flatbread in it, then you should tear up the flatbread into little pieces (without eating it), leave the little pieces of bread into the bowl, after which they take the bowl away, pour some soup/stew over the pieces of bread, and bring it back to you. Then, and only then, do you commence eating. The flatbread is not an appetizer. If you fail to follow the above steps, everyone else in the restaurant will look at you like you're doing something terribly impolite, which you probably are.

Sweet!

Staying in the Kawasaki Nikko Hotel for my last two nights in Japan. I'm on the 19th floor and have a beautiful view over Kawasaki station and beyond. :D :D :D

Free internet as well. They even had an adapter for the N.American cable I have (we broke ours in China, and shorted out the room in the meantime). I'm gonna have a nice hot bath, drink some tea, and finish writing evaluations for work :(.

Riots in Australia

From the mob:

"We'll show them! It's on again sunday... send this to everyone in your phone book... this is a straight up WAR! We must continue to come together to help the innocet an family's so every one can enjoy our beach's!"

Racism is bad, but those misspelling's are terrifying!

One Week Left

In one week at this time, I'll be on a plane to Calgary. (!) The apartment is (slowly) getting emptier, and I am scrambling to get rid of stuff. I was going to stay in the apartment until the last day (Wednesday) when the inspection will be, and Teruo will come pick me up and take me to the airport, but then I realized that EVERYthing must go, including the curtains. Since Wednesday is not garbage day, I would have to throw them out on Tuesday, and this would mean sleeping in a room with floor to ceiling windows and no curtains. Long story short, I got a hotel room for two nights in Kawasaki, which, although I live (technically) in, I've never actually been to. It's going to be awkward juggling the last 5 days at work, cleaning out the apartment, and travelling to and from Kawasaki while working in Yokohama, but it was the closest I could get. To add to matters, the landline and internet will be cut tomorrow, so I can only be reached by cellphone until the 21st. See you all in a week (or so)!

The insurgency in the War on Christmas

The news of the War on Christmas--and the resulting, I suppose you would call it, insurgency--must be pretty big, because it even came up on the BBC. Apparently, the fuss has something to do with the idea that, "We have reached an all time low point in our nation's history when human sensibilities are elevated above offending Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."

Offending? That's right, offending. Because, clearly, Jesus really cares whether you say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays". (He spent something like 5 verses talking about it during the Sermon on the Mount. "Blessed are those who say Merry Christmas, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven", etc.)

Indeed, Jesus must be terribly gratified that the most devout among his followers have such great faith that they are willing to fight for the phrase "Merry Christmas" at such high holy places of Christian worship as Target. (Did Paul not write, "Now abide these three: faith, hope, and soulless consumerism, but the greatest of these is soulless consumerism.")

But what do Americans know about the War on Christmas? Canadians know how to do a proper job of desecration.

Nothing, it seems, is sacred anymore, including the baby Jesus.

A rendering of the infant has been stolen from a creche in Old Montreal.

And in the days leading up to the theft, all the fingers on its right hand were broken off, except for the middle digit.

Which is pretty juvenile and mean-spirited. In such times of trouble, to whom is Jesus to turn for defense?

"This is plain urban vandalism by people that have no respect for religion," said Rashid Bouazouni, stopping by the nativity scene with his infant daughter in his arms.

"This is a place of peace where people should think joyful things," said his wife, Hamimi. "This is totally shocking,"

Hmm. Rashid and Hamimi Bouazouni? They're probably Methodists.

But caucasian Christian conservatives aren't the only ones defending Christmas. Kate and I were invited to spend the Christmas season with our friends Ben and Julie. Of course, we're atheists, and they're Jewish, so...

Have a Jewish-Humanist Christmas,
It's the best time of year.
I don't know if there'll be snow
But, Oy! It's hot in here.

Have a Jewish-Humanist Christmas,
And when you walk down the street,
Say Shalom to friends you know
And heretics you meet.
Unfortunately, they're out east, so we won't be able to meet up. Maybe next Christmas--

If there is a next Christmas!

Gah.

Moving INTO an apartment is far easier than moving OUT of one. :(

Updates

Well it's been awhile. In the last month, my dad has come and left Japan, I got rid of two major appliances, and I failed at the Nanowrimo contest (for the latter, my excuse is the business of guiding my dad around Japan).

I think Dad had a good time, we managed to do a lot more than I expected. He saw a lot of Tokyo, we did a weekend trip to Kyoto, and another to Hakone, and we went to Kasama, a pottery town in Ibaraki prefecture. Along the way, we picked up an older Japanese couple who invited us to their home for dinner (they made sukiyaki, really tasty, we drank lots of beer, and watched slide shows of their trip to Switzerland). They invited my dad to go on a road trip in their car with them, but there wasn't enough time. We had an adventure around Shinjuku on one of the last nights he was here - we were trying to find the Indian restaurant Toby and I had been to many times...the long and the short of it is that we walked around for an hour, gave up and started looking for an Ootoya we had seen awhile back, and in the midst of this undertaking ran smack into the original Indian restaurant. We had a lovely dinner, too.

I still don't know what I'll do with the rest of the stuff I'm trying to get rid of. I keep getting offers from wishy-washy people who never make up their minds...it takes a long time to sell stuff. :(