Since the Chinese government decided to change its holidays and give people back the traditional Chinese holidays, we had a 3-day weekend for Ching Ming or Tomb Sweeping Day. Alice, Kumi, Reshma and I decided to hit Datong, in northern Shanxi Province, to see the Yungang Caves and the Hanging Monastery.
Friday April 4: Friday was a full day. We arrive in Datong via overnight train early in the morning. We visited the Yungang Caves and the Hanging Monastery and made our way to Mt. Hengshan.
To see Datong and travel like the locals, we attempted to take the bus to the caves. The instructions sounded simple and clear. Take bus #4 from the train station to the last stop, then take bus #3 to the caves. After riding around on the #4 for a while and realizing that we were passing by the same thing… the bus driver told us we had MISSED the last stop (didn’t even know that was possible – you think they’d announce the last stop or something). But luckily, the man was so nice that he flagged down a bus going in the opposite direction for us and then told us to run onto the other bus in the middle of a busy intersection. We scurried off into oncoming traffic and managed to make our way to the other bus in one piece. We did eventually make it to the caves without any more trouble.
The Yungang Caves, one of 4 Buddhist Caves in China, is a series of over 40 caves filled with Buddhist art and sculptures, some dating as far back as the Wei Dynasty, more than 1,500 years ago. The really old stuff looked merely like hollow creepy skeletons, having been beaten by the elements over hundreds of years, but the less weathered stuff were stunning – colorful Buddha statues and intricate wall frescos covered the walls of the approximately 20 caves that we could view. Sadly, a layer of coal dust and pollution coated a lot of the artwork but it is impressive nonetheless.
We went in search of an old, abandoned section of the Great Wall near the caves afterwards but never found it, so we returned to Datong for a quick meal before venturing to the Hanging Monastery, about 2 hours outside Datong. We passed out on the bus and woke up when we reached Hunyuan, the closest town. They dropped us off by a gas station in the middle of nowhere and a cab driver took us to the monastery. The Hanging Monastery got its name from its precarious location, perched on the side of a cliff on skinny, long wooden poles. It is simply amazing the structure has not toppled over! The monastery is actually quite small (no monks here!), with tiny walkways and narrow stairs connecting different rooms on multiple floors. It is literally hanging right off the cliff. The monastery is clearly the main attraction in this area – people seriously would not come out here if it weren’t for the monastery.
We climbed up to the top of a dam next to the monastery where we found a pile of coal. Datong is in coal country, so there was a lot of coal around. Kumi picked out a chunk for Sabrina who couldn’t make the trip and then carried it around for the rest of the trip. We spent the night in Mt. Hengshan, where we stayed in the home conveniently converted into a hotel of some local residents. We slept together like local villagers, on a kang bed in a room that was heated by coals. There’s a long pipe that’s supposed to filter smoke out of the room, which didn’t work fabulously. We were worried that we’d freeze to death in the mountains, so we figured coal smoke was better than being freezing. When the coals seemed to have burned down really low, we snuck outside and chopped us some more chucks of coal to throw into the stove, which was located in the ground. We got caught by the lady at the hotel who came knocking on our door. Oops. Maybe coal is really expensive (but there’s so much of it there!!). She warned us not to put in more coal because the room would start to smell like coal (which it did – oops again). But between the coal stove and the huge pile of blankets we were actually quite comfortable and the evening felt like quite an adventure.
Saturday, April 5: Mt. Hengshan and Datong
We woke up the next morning way after sunrise (which we went up to the mountains originally to see) to soothing Buddhist music streaming from the temple located practically right about the hotel we were staying at. Then we climbed Mt. Hengshan, which was dotted with temples all over. When we made it down the mountain, we grabbed lunch at a local place and called for our driver to pick us up. The hotel told him where we were but we had no idea how the hotel knew. It’s like they were tracking us or something. It was very odd.
We made it back to Datong and found this area where there were little snacks and local stores by one of the major temples. We sampled all sorts of different snacks – from tofu to bread (lots of different kinds). And to pamper ourselves, we had our hair washed and blown out at a salon.
Sunday, April 6: Nine Dragon Screen
We visited the Nine Dragon Screen – the largest ceramic tiled wall of 9 dragons. But it was literally just a wall. There was nothing else. So we just relaxed in the courtyard there until lunchtime where we finally went to this baozi restaurant we had been passing by and wanting to try. Their buns or baozi were indeed delicious. It was a yummy meal. Then it was back to Beijing on the train.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Monday, April 7, 2008
Capital Airport
Over the weekend, for my flight to Shanghai for the Harvard Global Series Conference, I flew in and out of the new terminal (Terminal 3) at Beijing Capital Airport for the first time. The terminal, the world’s largest airport building, was designed by Sir Norman Foster and built in less than 4 years to open in time for the Olympics. The building is massive – a soaring steel and glass structure covered by thousands of twinkling lights on the inside. It is hard not to be impressed by the sheer size of this super modern building. However, I’ve been spoiled by the efficiency of Chinese airports over the past 9 months. It rarely takes me more than 15 minutes to get through security (there is never more than 5 or so people in front of you) and get to my gate. Now, there are miles of stairs and walkway to conquer between any 2 points. Sometimes, bigger is just not better.
Nevertheless, Capital Airport needs the extra capacity the additional terminal offers. But sadly, rather than making the transport buses to and from the plane a thing of the past (they take forever since the plane parks in the middle of nowhere miles from the terminal), they still have those.
Nevertheless, Capital Airport needs the extra capacity the additional terminal offers. But sadly, rather than making the transport buses to and from the plane a thing of the past (they take forever since the plane parks in the middle of nowhere miles from the terminal), they still have those.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The World's Largest Airport Terminal
Over the weekend, for my flight to Shanghai for the Harvard Global Series Conference, I flew in and out of the new terminal (Terminal 3) at Beijing Capital Airport for the first time. The terminal, the world’s largest airport building, was designed by Sir Norman Foster and built in less than 4 years to open in time for the Olympics. The building is massive – a soaring steel and glass structure covered by thousands of twinkling lights on the inside. It is hard not to be impressed by the sheer size of this super modern building. However, I’ve been spoiled by the efficiency of Chinese airports over the past 9 months. It rarely takes me more than 15 minutes to get through security (there is never more than 5 or so people in front of you) and get to my gate. Now, there are miles of stairs and walkway to conquer between any 2 points. Sometimes, bigger is just not better.
Nevertheless, Capital Airport needs the extra capacity the additional terminal offers. But sadly, rather than making the transport buses to and from the plane a thing of the past (they take forever since the plane parks in the middle of nowhere miles from the terminal), they still have those. But luckily, my flight back to Beijing pulled right into a gate.
Nevertheless, Capital Airport needs the extra capacity the additional terminal offers. But sadly, rather than making the transport buses to and from the plane a thing of the past (they take forever since the plane parks in the middle of nowhere miles from the terminal), they still have those. But luckily, my flight back to Beijing pulled right into a gate.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Pollution, Tibet & Strange Happenings
There are less than 150 days until the Olympics and Beijing just experienced it's first sandstorm of the year a couple of days ago. The pollution index must have been through the roof (although I could not figure out where to find out the actual number). The skies look menacing, a grayish-white that blanketed the city and obscured even buildings close by. The pollution hasn't improved these past two days either. Is Beijing ready for the Olympics? Sure, there are good days, but it's completely unpredictable. And on days like today and the past couple of days, I am almost hesitant to walk outdoors, much less run, and some athletes are refusing to participate in the Beijing Olympics for fear of jeopardizing their health.
And then there's the riots and protests in Tibet. I still haven't figured out if Tibet should technically be considered a part of China. However, mfriends and I had been planning, and looking forward to, a trip to Tibet/Nepal at the end of May/early June, but if the unrest continues, it's unlikely the Chinese government will let any foreigners close to Tibet. They've kicked all the tourists out already and journalists too. They're not issuing any permits to foreigners to visit Tibet right now, and I'm not sure when they will start again. In retaliation, the journalists have focused their energies on writing about the pollution. It's a huge sore spot for the Chinese government and they can't even claim it's political.
And truly bizarre things have happened in my apartment complex recently. A newspaper article wrote that 60 security guards from my complex were arrested a few days ago for, of all random things, stealing fire hydrants. Why fire hydrants? Scrap metal has gotten so expensive that they could make money off of selling them. As a result of the roundup, they've started to harass residents and their visitors. A cop gave a friend of mine a hard time last night for not carrying her temporary resident permit for foreigners when she tried to visit me at my apartment, and interrogated me about my own permit and citizenship status. And they've started asking for swipe cards to get into the buildings. As an expat, it is sometimes easy to forget that China is still a police state. Now I am fully reminded. They keep tabs on people.
And then there's the riots and protests in Tibet. I still haven't figured out if Tibet should technically be considered a part of China. However, mfriends and I had been planning, and looking forward to, a trip to Tibet/Nepal at the end of May/early June, but if the unrest continues, it's unlikely the Chinese government will let any foreigners close to Tibet. They've kicked all the tourists out already and journalists too. They're not issuing any permits to foreigners to visit Tibet right now, and I'm not sure when they will start again. In retaliation, the journalists have focused their energies on writing about the pollution. It's a huge sore spot for the Chinese government and they can't even claim it's political.
And truly bizarre things have happened in my apartment complex recently. A newspaper article wrote that 60 security guards from my complex were arrested a few days ago for, of all random things, stealing fire hydrants. Why fire hydrants? Scrap metal has gotten so expensive that they could make money off of selling them. As a result of the roundup, they've started to harass residents and their visitors. A cop gave a friend of mine a hard time last night for not carrying her temporary resident permit for foreigners when she tried to visit me at my apartment, and interrogated me about my own permit and citizenship status. And they've started asking for swipe cards to get into the buildings. As an expat, it is sometimes easy to forget that China is still a police state. Now I am fully reminded. They keep tabs on people.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Anna's Visit to Beijing
In 4 short days, Anna and Nate got a taste of life as expats in Beijing...
Wednesday: Anna and I grabbed lunch at Middle 8 with my colleagues on Wednesday before we tackled Yashow to buy silk scarves for her mom. Anna was blown away by the fact the sales lady spoke pretty good Russian, and the sales lady was impressed by Anna's tough, no-nonsense negotiating skills. That night, while I had hot pot with friends to celebrate our successful International Women's Day fundraiser, Anna & Nate had a romantic dinner at Green T. House, which they were quite impressed by and convinced would do well in L.A.
Thursday: I braved the Beijing Subway to see Anna (and eat a Western breakfast!). We shopped at the Silk Market before I went back to work and Anna went to visit the Forbidden City. That night, Anna visited my apartment and I took her to Houhai to walk around before we hit Pure Lotus for dinner. As always, the food was fabulous and the surroundings serene and beautiful. I finally met Nate that night (as Anna described, a tired-looking white guy), who met us at the restaurant. Like almost everything in Beijing, Pure Lotus is located in an alley and Nate had a hard time finding the restaurant, but he found it! Afterwards, we hit up Rickshaw for a drink and Anna saw Randy for the first time since college.
Friday: A typical Chinese banquet complete with Beijing duck at Dadong. We amassed a group of 15, and the size of our table was as impressive as the food. We had three ducks, all carved table-side by the many chefs at the restaurant, and about 15 other dishes. Anna poised next to one of knife-wielding chefs for a picture. After dinner, we hit up Alfa for Friday 80's night. Nate paid for our frozen mojitos, and promptly fell asleep (the poor guy worked the whole week while Anna was, as she said, "pleasuring"). While none of us had enough stamina that night to actually hit the dance floor, we walked by just in time to hear "Welcome to the Jungle." It reminded us of senior year, when Anna, the diva, did a soaring rendition of the song on stage, under hypnosis. As much as we like the original, Anna's version is better. Anyone want to party like it's 2099?
Saturday: While Beijing's expats all hit the baseball field at Wukesong for, ironically, an exhibition game between the L.A. Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, we did what the tourists do in Beijing - hit the Great Wall! We went to the Mutianyu section. I was tour guide, translator and photographer for my favorite couple of the moment. Anna did acrobatics on wall (check out the pictures!) and we hiked a few towers before sledding down to the bottom on a tobbagan. That night, we had dinner at LAN, my favorite bar in Beijing that also happens to be a restaurant. The food is best described as creative fusion (definitely not Sichuan as advertised) - portions were tiny but everything was beautifully presented. Absolutely love the quirky, Alice-in-Wonderland decor. Rumors are one is in the works for New York City. Can't wait. We ended the evening at China Doll. You can't get more expat than the bars in Sanlitun.
And thus completes Anna & Nate's visit to Beijing. Miss them already!
Wednesday: Anna and I grabbed lunch at Middle 8 with my colleagues on Wednesday before we tackled Yashow to buy silk scarves for her mom. Anna was blown away by the fact the sales lady spoke pretty good Russian, and the sales lady was impressed by Anna's tough, no-nonsense negotiating skills. That night, while I had hot pot with friends to celebrate our successful International Women's Day fundraiser, Anna & Nate had a romantic dinner at Green T. House, which they were quite impressed by and convinced would do well in L.A.
Thursday: I braved the Beijing Subway to see Anna (and eat a Western breakfast!). We shopped at the Silk Market before I went back to work and Anna went to visit the Forbidden City. That night, Anna visited my apartment and I took her to Houhai to walk around before we hit Pure Lotus for dinner. As always, the food was fabulous and the surroundings serene and beautiful. I finally met Nate that night (as Anna described, a tired-looking white guy), who met us at the restaurant. Like almost everything in Beijing, Pure Lotus is located in an alley and Nate had a hard time finding the restaurant, but he found it! Afterwards, we hit up Rickshaw for a drink and Anna saw Randy for the first time since college.
Friday: A typical Chinese banquet complete with Beijing duck at Dadong. We amassed a group of 15, and the size of our table was as impressive as the food. We had three ducks, all carved table-side by the many chefs at the restaurant, and about 15 other dishes. Anna poised next to one of knife-wielding chefs for a picture. After dinner, we hit up Alfa for Friday 80's night. Nate paid for our frozen mojitos, and promptly fell asleep (the poor guy worked the whole week while Anna was, as she said, "pleasuring"). While none of us had enough stamina that night to actually hit the dance floor, we walked by just in time to hear "Welcome to the Jungle." It reminded us of senior year, when Anna, the diva, did a soaring rendition of the song on stage, under hypnosis. As much as we like the original, Anna's version is better. Anyone want to party like it's 2099?
Saturday: While Beijing's expats all hit the baseball field at Wukesong for, ironically, an exhibition game between the L.A. Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, we did what the tourists do in Beijing - hit the Great Wall! We went to the Mutianyu section. I was tour guide, translator and photographer for my favorite couple of the moment. Anna did acrobatics on wall (check out the pictures!) and we hiked a few towers before sledding down to the bottom on a tobbagan. That night, we had dinner at LAN, my favorite bar in Beijing that also happens to be a restaurant. The food is best described as creative fusion (definitely not Sichuan as advertised) - portions were tiny but everything was beautifully presented. Absolutely love the quirky, Alice-in-Wonderland decor. Rumors are one is in the works for New York City. Can't wait. We ended the evening at China Doll. You can't get more expat than the bars in Sanlitun.
And thus completes Anna & Nate's visit to Beijing. Miss them already!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Hangzhou and Shanghai
I made another trip to Shanghai last weekend. Since I had to fly down for my b-school interview, I figured I'd use the opportunity to visit a friend in Hangzhou, which is only an hour away from Shanghai. Hangzhou is often said to be one of the prettiest cities in China, with a massive lake, West Lake, smack in the center of the city. Cherry blossom season (which unfortunately is still another couple of weeks away) is supposed to be amazing here, as the flower-covered trees dot the landscape around the lake.
Jiyin and Andy took me to a local Hangzhou restaurant, where we had a delicious meal, before we headed out to West Lake. We walked along the banks of one section of the lake, before stopping by the former lakefront villa of Mao (now a hotel) for afternoon tea. I sampled the local dragon well green tea as well as a bunch of tasty snacks including hazelnuts, dried grape tomatoes and dried bamboo. All were delicious. Despite the hazy clouds obscuring the view, the lake was still really tranquil and beautiful.
I had my first home-cooked local Chinese meal at Jiyin's home that night. Jiyin's mom cooked an amazing meal with over 10 dishes, including spring rolls, crab, fish, chicken and some type of glutinous cake. I also met her college roommates.
We went back to the West Lake again the next day and walked along the main pedestrian walkway that cut across the lake. We met up with one of Jiyin's roommates and took a relaxing boatride around the lake. We saw the islands in the middle of the lake and the three stone pagodas in the middle of the lake that reflect the moon during the full moon (some how, the holes in the pagodas reflect in such a way that it looks like there are 32 moons, 10 each from the pagodas, the moon itself, and the moon's reflection).
I rushed back to Shanghai in time to grab dinner with some friends. We had some yummy Indian food and the night ended pretty early because a bunch of them got kittens recently, and like good parents - they went home to feed their cats. I met Qin's new kitten, Taka (after the Japanese actor Takashiro something), who was incredibly shy and skittish. But Qin treats him so well that we all hope it'll stop being scared and shy soon.
Post-interview the following morning, Qin and I had lunch before hitting up Yu Yuan for gift ideas for the Harvard Global Series Conference in Shanghai. Even on a Tuesday the place was busy. We saw some artisans making some pretty cool things - like tin can turned into art and names twisted out of wire. I got one of the twisted things for Anna (who is visiting me in Beijing!).
Despite the fact that I love visiting Shanghai, I rushed back to Beijing, cutting my trip short, so I could see Anna. I went straight to the Peninsula - it's been more than a year since I've seen her and I am super excited she is visiting (thanks to her boyfriend who is here on business). We had wine and chocolates and caught up for a bit.
Jiyin and Andy took me to a local Hangzhou restaurant, where we had a delicious meal, before we headed out to West Lake. We walked along the banks of one section of the lake, before stopping by the former lakefront villa of Mao (now a hotel) for afternoon tea. I sampled the local dragon well green tea as well as a bunch of tasty snacks including hazelnuts, dried grape tomatoes and dried bamboo. All were delicious. Despite the hazy clouds obscuring the view, the lake was still really tranquil and beautiful.
I had my first home-cooked local Chinese meal at Jiyin's home that night. Jiyin's mom cooked an amazing meal with over 10 dishes, including spring rolls, crab, fish, chicken and some type of glutinous cake. I also met her college roommates.
We went back to the West Lake again the next day and walked along the main pedestrian walkway that cut across the lake. We met up with one of Jiyin's roommates and took a relaxing boatride around the lake. We saw the islands in the middle of the lake and the three stone pagodas in the middle of the lake that reflect the moon during the full moon (some how, the holes in the pagodas reflect in such a way that it looks like there are 32 moons, 10 each from the pagodas, the moon itself, and the moon's reflection).
I rushed back to Shanghai in time to grab dinner with some friends. We had some yummy Indian food and the night ended pretty early because a bunch of them got kittens recently, and like good parents - they went home to feed their cats. I met Qin's new kitten, Taka (after the Japanese actor Takashiro something), who was incredibly shy and skittish. But Qin treats him so well that we all hope it'll stop being scared and shy soon.
Post-interview the following morning, Qin and I had lunch before hitting up Yu Yuan for gift ideas for the Harvard Global Series Conference in Shanghai. Even on a Tuesday the place was busy. We saw some artisans making some pretty cool things - like tin can turned into art and names twisted out of wire. I got one of the twisted things for Anna (who is visiting me in Beijing!).
Despite the fact that I love visiting Shanghai, I rushed back to Beijing, cutting my trip short, so I could see Anna. I went straight to the Peninsula - it's been more than a year since I've seen her and I am super excited she is visiting (thanks to her boyfriend who is here on business). We had wine and chocolates and caught up for a bit.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Beijing Art Scene
Contemporary Chinese art has been making a splash recently, garnering a lot of international attention. There have been some high-profile auctions that have pulled in record amounts for Chinese art. 798 is one of the main art districts (sort of like New York’s Soho before it got gentrified and outrageously expensive), where dozens of galleries are housed in warehouses. I was here a few weeks ago for a theater festival called “Shifen Theater” (10 minute theater – a collection of 10 minute acts organized by an expat for expats). It was held in one of the galleries. A lot of the performances were a bit too “avant-garde” for me to say I actually enjoyed it, but the space was awesome. I had a chance to come back over the weekend with friends to participate in an interactive exhibit called “De-Face,” where graffiti artists and the public could paint the whitewashed walls of a gallery slated for demolition. 798 has gotten to trendy for its own good, and the warehouse was being demolished in the name of development – to make way for a car park. It was an interesting “final attempt at an artistic statement” against the destruction of 1/6th of 798, which is supposed to be a protected art district.
Hundreds of visitors came to participate, painting and spray-painting the walls. The graffiti artists were amazing. I watched the evolution of a big green man taking off his mask, from a rather amorphous green blob to an impressive, detailed image. The graffiti artist worked with a bottle of beer in one hand (and a random fact – local Chinese beer is in fact CHEAPER than bottled water in China! – how crazy?!) and a bottle of spray paint in the other. After he finished, he took a few steps back, admiring his work through the cloud of cigarette smoke he exhaled. It was my first time watching an artist at work in person – definitely an interesting experience. A bunch of expats took part in this event, spraying the work “chai” or demolish in Chinese over the walls and scribbling whatever it was they wished. It was definitely a fun and interesting experience.
Before we went to De-Face, Chia-Li and I had the opportunity to walk around 798, taking pictures of some of the outdoor sculptures and popping into some of the galleries. One of my favorite was a gallery filled with lacquer paintings. The artist(s) had taken a very tradition Chinese form of handicraft, using the technique to paint interesting images that looked like cracked, glazed ceramic, but on a painting. The melding of traditional techniques into modern paintings was really cool. Definitely want to come back and explore more of this place, before more of it disappears.
Hundreds of visitors came to participate, painting and spray-painting the walls. The graffiti artists were amazing. I watched the evolution of a big green man taking off his mask, from a rather amorphous green blob to an impressive, detailed image. The graffiti artist worked with a bottle of beer in one hand (and a random fact – local Chinese beer is in fact CHEAPER than bottled water in China! – how crazy?!) and a bottle of spray paint in the other. After he finished, he took a few steps back, admiring his work through the cloud of cigarette smoke he exhaled. It was my first time watching an artist at work in person – definitely an interesting experience. A bunch of expats took part in this event, spraying the work “chai” or demolish in Chinese over the walls and scribbling whatever it was they wished. It was definitely a fun and interesting experience.
Before we went to De-Face, Chia-Li and I had the opportunity to walk around 798, taking pictures of some of the outdoor sculptures and popping into some of the galleries. One of my favorite was a gallery filled with lacquer paintings. The artist(s) had taken a very tradition Chinese form of handicraft, using the technique to paint interesting images that looked like cracked, glazed ceramic, but on a painting. The melding of traditional techniques into modern paintings was really cool. Definitely want to come back and explore more of this place, before more of it disappears.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)