Beware of Foo Dogs

The biting claws and fearsome teeth of the Chinese lion-dog, sometimes called both Guardian Lions and Foo Dogs seemed designed merely to ward off intruders. But I am surprised to discover that, like so many other things here in China, there is a duality: the male, on the right as you walk in, has his claw perched on a ball, representing the globe and the world. The female, on the opposite side, seems poised to maul something, but is actually cuddling with a smaller version of herself, representing the mothering image, the protection of the young and the helpless. Such an iconic piece, and one that seems to flank everything from ancient temples to factories here in China. The Summer Palace, known in China as Yiheyuan, was built originally in the Qing dynasty, and has experienced various rebuilding projects over the centuries. It was originally designed for a Chinese Empress, and is a beautiful place to walk through.

The buildings are iconic Chinese style, with the sloping tile roofs and the distinctive levels, despite their recent construction. There are a number of beautiful paintings featuring scenes from Chinese legend and history, and it was all I could do to keep up as we strolled down the Changlang (Long Corridor). There were numerous other beautiful sights, such as a glass-topped table on which the Emperor’s mother would eat while watching goldfish swim beneath her plates, or perhaps stare out at the beautiful blooms that seem to adorn every tree.

We came out beside the Kunming Lake, where the morning fog rolled across  and paddle-boats puttered alongside men pushing their way across in longer ships. Stealing the scene was the impressive but somewhat foolish Marble Boat: the boat is actually wooden painted to look like Marble, but is reviled because its opulence was built using Imperial funds that were intended for the Chinese navy. We passed this beautiful folly and boarded a Dragon Boats for a ride around the lake—the boat itself was a bit tacky, but made up for by the company. We met some Ethiopian men who had been living in China for almost a year, and seemed as eager as anyone else to have a photo with us, and they were sure to give us tips about things to try while we were here.

Catching a ride, we arrived at the freshwater pearl factory to learn a bit about this unique type of jewel. The pearls glitter, coming in the classic white, but also twilight purple, peach, and other colors, which made it difficult not to spend too much money purchasing them as gifts! We found a few good deals  (and a few not so good, but tough to pass up!), and headed out, this time for Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City.

Tianamen Square felt strange to stand in—the infamous photo of 1989 student demonstrations flashed in my mind, contrasting with the cheerful Chinese taking photos with the Monument to the People’s Heroes and the bright red sickle and star celebrating 90 years of Communism in China. It was certainly sobering to stand in the midst of the square, but the crowds and the enthusiasm were a reminder just how different perceptions can be from East to West.

I can see the photo in my mind’s eye—it is difficult with the crowds to picture it, but I am doing my best. My father, in his suit and tie, standing before one of the Forbidden City’s many courtyards…but which is it? I wish I had more of a sense, but the crowds again make it difficult to see in my mind’s eye—I eventually settle for 3 different photos, hoping one of them is right. Graceful and overwhelming at the same time, the Forbidden City is famous for its sunflower yellow roofs and ruddy red walls, exemplifying Chinese red for luck, and the yellow for the Emperor. Under the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Forbidden City had been the innermost walled section of Beijing, famous residence of the Emperors and their many entourages. The last Emperor, Puyi, was confined to the Forbidden City after he was ‘overthrown’ in 1911 and China became a republic.

Still, many of the buildings do appear similar: a handy trick for telling which are more important: look to the eaves and roofs for the presence of tiny, dog like animals. The more figures, the more important the building, up to 9, the Chinese lucky number. Traveling through the courtyard, we arrive in the Imperial Gardens and see what our Guide calls one of the luckiest places in China—a man-made rock formation that the elderly climb on the 9^th of September (doubly lucky), in hopes of longevity. As for the Emperors, they would install stairs to make the climb easier, hoping still for the grace of the Gods!

In the evening, we went to see a Chinese Acrobatic Show, which was very impressive but eemed more like a variety show, or an episode of ‘China’s Got Talent!’. Some favorites included a clown/fool character that came out into the audience, with straw yellow hair and elaborate makeup, to make and pass out balloon animals, and a group of women who made an inverted pyramid atop a moving bicycle. Tired from our day though, it felt good to finally hit my bed–but I was excited for what would be another full day tomorrow!

“You speak Chinese?”

“You speak Chinese?”

When I had to answer no, my conversation partner seemed to grow more, not less, excited.

“Good! I speak English! Why are you so tall?”

It was just past 8 am, my first morning in Beijing, and aside from our wonderful tour guide, Ying, this was my first conversation with one of the natives. And this particular native looked up from just about waist height, tugging at his bright blue tank-top excitedly as he smiled ear to ear. Behind him, his elderly grandparents smiled good-naturedly and nodded slowly at his proficiency. I had to admit that I was not too sure why I was so tall, but perhaps because I was older than he was. As I pointed this simple fact out, an elderly European gentleman flashed the boy the universal symbol for good job, the thumbs-up, as he strolled by.

“No, he is old. You are young. Like me!”

 

I had to chuckle at his crisp, precise English and his candor. I asked him if he was from Beijing, and whether this was his first time at the Great Wall of China.

“Oh yes, it is my first time—how did you get up here?”

I told him that I had traveled by cable car, to which he burst out laughing.

“Rich Americans can take the car up; it is expensive! We walked all the way here, to save money that way!”

At this, my new little friend flexed his arm and grabbed at his bicep and Grandma and Grandpa continued to smile behind him. Somehow, I sensed that they were more happy with saving the money than with the walk itself. As I glanced over their shoulders, I realized that I could no longer see any of my traveling companions on this section of the Wall, called the Mutianyu Section, so I bid my new friend a hasty adieu and raced off after them, ducking around an odd mixture of Asian and American/European tourists. As I went, I could hear my friend chatting with his grandparents, perhaps being congratulated on getting to know a tall, rich American.

My first morning in Bejing was filled with one of the most iconic Chinese sites in the entire country, the Great Wall. After deciding that our delayed flight meant we could get started on our day that much earlier, we traveled to the famous wall built across 3 different Chinese dynasties as a symbol of power, but also as a defense against invaders. It stretches 3,730 miles across China, and is dotted by more than 10,000 beacon towers. To walk along it in the morning fog, especially after travelling up over the treeline via cable car, was a perfect introduction to China, and the natives we met only made us more excited for the trip.

Almost every Chinese person we ran into along the Great Wall wanted to stop and chat (to practice their English, according to Fr. Nowel) and to take a picture with us. It certainly feels strange to be the odd-man out here, where our wide eyes, pale skin, and ‘big’ noses certainly set us apart from the natives. We took a toboggan ride down from the Great Wall and went off on our way to see some of the country’s iconic arts and crafts being made in factories by skilled workers.

 

We moved quickly through the Jade and Cloisonne factories, where we were amazed by the process but often turned off by the price tags. I saw several Chinese Chops just like mine being made in the Jade factory, and managed to pick up a present for a friend in the Cloisonne factory. Cloisonne is a type of enameling, done and painted by hand over a process of over 15 firings in a flame kiln, resulting in a mix of artwork: some looks tacky truth be told, while others are absolutely breathtaking pieces that have a unique feel to them. In the Jade factory I most admired the ‘cabbage’, pictured here, which often finds a home in the offices of businessmen and represents money and good fortune coming in to whoever the narrow end points to, but also to those they transact with.

We traveled down the beautiful Sacred Way, dotted by beautiful stone sculptures of various animals and humans, along the way learning about different representations in Chinese culture—the Dragon represents the Emperor, while the Phoenix represents the Empress. The Turtle represents longevity and strength, as his hard shell protects him, and as individuals of the species may grow to be centuries old. The combination of the Dragon and the Turtle is not uncommon, but as our tour of the Ming tombs began I quickly learned just how one of my own eyes glossed over different parts of the Chinese cultural heritage, even when it came to one of my favorite things: the dragons.

The Chinese dragon is an iconic symbol—so different from the winged fire-breathers of European medieval tales. But oftentimes, what I thought was a dragon, was actually any number of other creatures from myth—for example, the biji, a beast that appears to be a dragon and is often seen at the base of temples, palaces, and tombs. The creature is famed for its mythical strength, and thus forms the foundation to carry a building. Apparently, even the iconic Chinese dragon is more than meets the eye!

Passing numerous Biji, we entered the grounds of the Ming tombs, walking under some beautiful ‘Dragon’s Claw’ trees, which provide shade and protection for lovers during the summer when they are fully leafed, as well as the strange ‘Deer Horn Cypress’, called so because of its thick branches and odd formations. The tombs themselves are based around the Chinese concept of feng shui (wind and water), and contain 13 of the 16 Ming emperors in various tomb sites, chosen for the presence of hills, rivers, and other natural wonders meant to make the tombs more sacred and serve as a sign of the Emperor’s careful planning. The Ming ruled China from 1368-1644, during which the capital of China was relocated to Beijing from Nanjing, and were the first Dynasty following Mongol rule in China. The emperors grew more and more autocratic, as well as more and more ostentatious, and the beauty of the tombs both inside and out is no exception.

Throughout the day, and perhaps one of the newest aspects of China, was the food: we began with a quick breakfast before our trip to the Great Wall, featuring fried dough, red-bean soup, tofu mixed with broth, mini-shrimps and seaweed (very fresh, and very salty!), bean-paste dumplings, which were much thicker than the dumplings at home, pickled vegetables, and a few other delicacies whose name I didn’t catch. For lunch we enoyed some more ‘American’ Chinese food in the form of sweet and sour chicken, but also sweet and sour fish, fried tofu, hot and sour soup (with mushroom and eggs), ham and beef slices (much like American cold-cuts to be honest), and cherry tomatoes. Finally, our dinner was at a delicious dumpling restaurant featuring leek and pork dumplings, beef, tofu, and vegetables mixed together, steamed broccoli, and a seaweed dish. Certainly quite a few dishes I recognized, but even those I did were bursting with more flavor, more spices, fresher tastes and sometimes even vastly different textures. I left no meal hungry, and truly enjoyed the communal meal system, as itlet me graze across a variety of dishes without feeling like I was sneaking it off someone else’s plate!

Every day here has been absolutely packed, so expect more posts soon, but until then, hope everyone is doing well!

One Tough Cookie

‘Adversity is the parent of virtue’. Picking through the fragments of my in-flight Fortune Cookie, I found this foreboding little phrase on a slip of paper which also instructed me how to say egg in Chinese (dan) and reminded me that my lucky numbers had once again inexplicably changed, this time to 19, 7, 50, 56, 26, and 18. Turning to Fr. Nowel, I remarked that the fortune did not seem to portend an easy trip through China. But I had no idea just how quickly my fortune would become a reality.

The trip to China, by plane, takes 13 hours. There is a 12 hour time difference, so you lose a day when you travel to China. On our flight from Detroit, however, we lost an additional 5 hours, as thunderstorms around Beijing first prevented us from landing, and later forced us to fly down to Shanghai airport, refuel, turn around, and hope for the best as we circled Beijing. We did eventually arrive, at about 4 am local time, and after trudging our way through customs and baggage claim, finally breathed our first taste of China. But I was amazed at just how much the adversity of our plane flight forced us all to cultivate our virtues–patience, understanding, even charity. When there was a medical emergency on the flight, I (and many others) took no time at all to report that we had varying degrees of medical expertise (thankfully I was not needed, nor was the passenger seriously injured–they were taken off the flight to a hospital very close to Shanghai airport, apparently in good condition as we departed). But it also gave me a chance to see how the Chinese, or at least, those Chinese people traveling to Beijing for any number of reasons, responded to adversity.

Anyone who has flown knows that nerves are often frayed, tempers are short, and we often say things many would regret later. But the Chinese, collectively, did not seem to respond with ill-will at our continuing delays. The man next to me curled up to watch the 5th, and then the 6th Harry Potter movies. 4 girls from Beijing a few rows up played an elaborate card game which they attempted to teach me (though we eventually settled for just teaching me how to say hello and thank you in Mandarin). A little boy, born in Beijing and only 21 months old, laughed and giggled as we played peek-a-boo with his mother watching on with a smile. Even my fellow American travelers, both those from Providence College and not, joked and laughed at our situation, seeming to truly cultivate virtue in the face of adversity. It was certainly eye-opening, and in many ways a strangely wonderful way to start our trip.

We took no time off after getting off the plane, far too excited to start exploring Beijing and learning about China after meeting our tour guide, Ying. But that will be a post for another day–just know that I will have 3 full meals of Chinese food to talk about, most of which I have yet to see on any take-out menu, and some of China’s most iconic sites to share photos of. But I am hoping to keep my tiny little fortune, something I would so easily leave behind in the States as foolish, with me as I continue my journey–especially when I learned from Fr. Nowel that, although they included one as the desert with the Chinese menu option on our flight, Fortune Cookies would seem distinctively foreign, and very odd, to most Chinese residents. I guess this will be the first of many stereotypes I break on my trip–Fortune Cookies do not truly come from China, though we Americans consider them such a key part of any Chinese meal. Look for a post about our first days in Beijing soon, and until then, I hope everyone is doing well!

(Ain’t Nothin’ Gonna) Break my Stride

In the hit 1983 song providing this post’s title, Matthew Wilder sings:

“Last night I had the strangest dream

 I sailed away to China

in a little rowboat to find ya…”

In some ways it feels like a strange dream that in only 3 days, I’ll be traveling to China for 4 weeks–though I’ll be taking a plane and not a little rowboat! This song came on several weeks ago while I was thinking about my upcoming trip, and, in some way, forced me to reflect: What am I going to China for? What am I looking for in this trip, aside the experience itself? What am I hoping and expecting to find in China? Before I get into what I’m looking for on this trip though, a bit about who I am exactly.

My name is Tom Nailor, and I’m a rising Senior at Providence College. This past year I was lucky enough to travel to England to study abroad at Oxford University. While there, I did quite a bit of traveling across Europe, including Turkey, Italy, Greece, France, and Ireland, as well as England itself–while traveling so much, I really developed a taste for it, and when I was offered the opportunity to participate in a summer study-abroad program through Providence College, this time to travel to China, I leaped at the chance. This blog will chronicle my trip, including photos, videos, stories, and (hopefully!) some lessons for people who would like to travel to China in the future!

As of right now, there are only 3 days separating me from a short flight to Detroit with Fr. Mark Nowel (who organizes this study abroad program every year for any interested Providence College students!) and several other PC students, where we’ll have a layover, meet the rest of our group, and board a flight to Beijing! It seems like the time between getting home from Oxford and heading off on my next trip has not been enough, but I could not be looking forward to it more.

My blog’s title may seem odd at first glance, but I think it really says something about what I want to get out of this trip. So much of what I, and many of us, know about China is stereotypes–the bearded sage Confucious, the Chinese dragon, rickshaw drivers, kung-fu movies, and of course, the ever recognizable Chinese food take-out box: General Tso’s Chicken, Pork Chow-Mein, and Crab Rangoons are all staples of an American Chinese food Restaurant, ordered by so many of us over so many years.

But what is China really like? It has a long, complex history, and is a country that seems to be ever-changing. I am hoping in my travels, to see some of what China really is like–to look at where the country has been so to speak, and to see where it is going. Along the way, I’ll be seeing many of China’s most famous sights, taking a 2 week Introductory Mandarin Course at a Chinese University, and trying my best to soak up as much of the country as I can. Most of all, I am hoping to meet and have real conversations with Chinese natives, and other visitors, to listen to their stories and see how they think of their country. And, perhaps what I am most looking forward to experiencing, the food!

So, I hope that you will enjoy reading stories from my travels, getting a chance to look at some photos and videos taken across China, and seeing just how much I learn about the country’s history, it’s culture, it’s people, and it’s cuisine. I will be doing my best to update a few times a week, and I hope that if you’re reading this, you’ll be able to find the time to read about my experience. All I’ll say for now is that I’ll promise that there “Ain’t nothin’ gonna break my stride“…

I’ll be using a gift I have from a Chinese friend of mine as my sign off–many years ago he gave me a beautifully carved ‘chop’ featuring my Chinese Zodiac sign (the Snake) and my name in Chinese characters. I’m as thankful now, as ever, for the gift, and glad that it will find a place here on my blog!