April 10, 2008
I've had friends and family email me, concerned for my well-being with the unrest in Tibet and along the course of the Olympic torch. I've had to inquire of my friends the state of the populace, as I'm separated from the news by language issues.
Alex, from Australia, has lived here just over two years doing social work in a hutong. (http://www.the_hutong.com/) We visited for a while this afternoon and his perspective helps me understand things. The people of Beijing and the rest of China are not concerned about these issues. Keep in mind their source of information is screened, (i.e. censored) and given to them in a language and with the perspective the government is promoting. The people of China are not politically-minded as a rule. It's a one-party system and most folks don't get to vote for their leaders. (A mere 20 million belong to The Party, and get to vote in tiers.) The Chinese people are a family-oriented race and tend not to be aggressive. Indeed, Alex pointed out, they built the Great Wall of China to keep folks out! They aren't looking for conflict, they are peace-loving. The name of the street of my hotel means "Peaceful way." The government is taking care of their 1.6 BILLION people as best it can.
My friend, Giray,http://www.cinrehberi.net/ from Turkey, after living and studying here for 8 years, says the people of China have NEVER had life so good in the history of this country! They're looking forward to the Olympics to show the world their home.
The experiences I've shared in my China Journals reflects the hospitality of the Chinese people as a whole. Today I ran some last minute errands. I took a taxi to tourist-friendly, Wanfujing Street for the first time, which is a BIG city block, closed to traffic, with BIG-named stores – you know, kind of like our walking mall in Helena! (Okay, that was a joke!) I went into two BIG bookstores (six floors each, the top one carries musical instruments, including pianos!) and browsed for quite a while. I found an outlet store for Olympic Games memorabilia. But, I didn't allow enough time to go shopping for clothes, dog-gone-it! From there I took the crowded subway, including a transfer, to The Hutong, where I met Alex for tea. After that, I took a taxi to the School for the Blind where I received a massage from a blind therapist. (Coincidence time: I had the SAME therapist I had in Sept. 2005! Greg! And he's GOOD!) I then took a taxi back to my hotel. In all that time, about 5 hours, I didn't witness a raised voice or any sense of anger or frustration, and believe me, my taxi drivers would've been justified to loose their cool on several occasions! And nobody bothered me in any way. Plus, my taxi drivers put up with my lack of language and bent over backwards to get me to the right place in a timely manner.
This morning I met Teacher in the Park for the last time this visit. I said good-bye to Mr Li and the other regulars at the knoll. Jane was there and gave me two mangos to enjoy. Xihua arrived and the three of us walked to the hotel together. I asked my final couple of questions and received the answers from Teacher. He gave me a low back treatment to augment the treatment I gave him yesterday. Then he had me use the same techniques on him to make sure I understood and got it right. Then we exchanged gifts and said good-bye until next time.
I've had friends and family email me, concerned for my well-being with the unrest in Tibet and along the course of the Olympic torch. I've had to inquire of my friends the state of the populace, as I'm separated from the news by language issues.
Alex, from Australia, has lived here just over two years doing social work in a hutong. (http://www.the_hutong.com/) We visited for a while this afternoon and his perspective helps me understand things. The people of Beijing and the rest of China are not concerned about these issues. Keep in mind their source of information is screened, (i.e. censored) and given to them in a language and with the perspective the government is promoting. The people of China are not politically-minded as a rule. It's a one-party system and most folks don't get to vote for their leaders. (A mere 20 million belong to The Party, and get to vote in tiers.) The Chinese people are a family-oriented race and tend not to be aggressive. Indeed, Alex pointed out, they built the Great Wall of China to keep folks out! They aren't looking for conflict, they are peace-loving. The name of the street of my hotel means "Peaceful way." The government is taking care of their 1.6 BILLION people as best it can.
My friend, Giray,http://www.cinrehberi.net/ from Turkey, after living and studying here for 8 years, says the people of China have NEVER had life so good in the history of this country! They're looking forward to the Olympics to show the world their home.
The experiences I've shared in my China Journals reflects the hospitality of the Chinese people as a whole. Today I ran some last minute errands. I took a taxi to tourist-friendly, Wanfujing Street for the first time, which is a BIG city block, closed to traffic, with BIG-named stores – you know, kind of like our walking mall in Helena! (Okay, that was a joke!) I went into two BIG bookstores (six floors each, the top one carries musical instruments, including pianos!) and browsed for quite a while. I found an outlet store for Olympic Games memorabilia. But, I didn't allow enough time to go shopping for clothes, dog-gone-it! From there I took the crowded subway, including a transfer, to The Hutong, where I met Alex for tea. After that, I took a taxi to the School for the Blind where I received a massage from a blind therapist. (Coincidence time: I had the SAME therapist I had in Sept. 2005! Greg! And he's GOOD!) I then took a taxi back to my hotel. In all that time, about 5 hours, I didn't witness a raised voice or any sense of anger or frustration, and believe me, my taxi drivers would've been justified to loose their cool on several occasions! And nobody bothered me in any way. Plus, my taxi drivers put up with my lack of language and bent over backwards to get me to the right place in a timely manner.
This morning I met Teacher in the Park for the last time this visit. I said good-bye to Mr Li and the other regulars at the knoll. Jane was there and gave me two mangos to enjoy. Xihua arrived and the three of us walked to the hotel together. I asked my final couple of questions and received the answers from Teacher. He gave me a low back treatment to augment the treatment I gave him yesterday. Then he had me use the same techniques on him to make sure I understood and got it right. Then we exchanged gifts and said good-bye until next time.
(Photo caption: Gifts from Teacher include the neckace and two bracelets I am wearing, the two necklaces he is wearing (for my husband), and a necklace for my Mother. Gifts to Teacher included the agreed upon fee for the training.)
My room was quiet when the door closed.
Teacher has purchased some CDs that teach the English language. He can say, "one, two, three," and "Okay!" and "better." He says he practices when nobody is around to hear him. (His daughter lives with him.) He named a famous leader who began learning a new language at age 90 and said that since he's only 76 he's got LOTS of time to learn English! And, he's doing it so he can talk to ME! Guess I'd better quit whining about my age and memory issues, buckle down and learn some Chinese!!!
I'm off to bed. After breakfast and checking out of the hotel in the morning, I'll catch a taxi to the airport and spend the day flying to LA. My time in China is about over. It's been another above average visit. As they say, "Anything is possible in China!"
Zaijian! (Good-bye)
Hong Liang, a.k.a. Janice
Knitting the world together, one connection at a time
I'm off to bed. After breakfast and checking out of the hotel in the morning, I'll catch a taxi to the airport and spend the day flying to LA. My time in China is about over. It's been another above average visit. As they say, "Anything is possible in China!"
Zaijian! (Good-bye)
Hong Liang, a.k.a. Janice
Knitting the world together, one connection at a time
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