Trip 2: Week 6

From my new "Made in China" series using the Holga.
Stay tuned...

This weekend I discovered the "Fish & Bird Market."
Location: Qingta Hutong (west of Lu Xun Museum)
Fuchengmennei, Xicheng District

I decided I couldn't pull out my camera to record this spectacle because it wouldn't do the feeling justice. I just had to be there in the moment and take it all in. Something I am learning to do more and more.

Imagine walking down a small alleyway beyond the main city street toward the unknown. It is always an adventure to seek out the new. Even if it is something very ordinary to some, this small city block area is a spectacular cultural phenomenon. It is not on a very obvious path and is just beyond the length of time one would normally wander into an unknown alley, but we were certain that just underneath the skyscraper within view was a wonderful world of the Fish and Bird Market I had read about. There are moments when you know you have wandered off the normal tourist path because all of a sudden the street seems quieter than normal and all eyes are on you. Seems appropriate as I was seeking out a spectacle myself.

The road curves and then narrows toward this small market. The sound of birds and smell of animals in cages alert you to your imminent arrival. Ah, the destination has arrived. I was drawn first to the little miniature pigs and then the bunnies then the chinchilla. I am an animal lover, but I am fond of some more than others. The chinchilla is originally from the high Andes in South America. This cute and especially soft little guy is often bred in captivity for his fur. Sometimes being blessed with too much softness can be a curse. There are rodents of all kinds. As well as, worms, crickets, minnows. Hard to say where where the line of pet, bait, or food lie. There was some evidence of an organizing principle as you walk into a small building that houses equipment for fishing. The further you walk in, you find yourself in the middle of a maze of aquarium holding every variety of what I would the Goldfish. I still haven't looked in to the relationship between Goldfish and Coy. Are they from the same family? Are they essentially the same fish but with bigger tanks that allow them to grow to sizes like small puppies? I've heard they can cost as much as small cars and are treated as special pets in some circles. I guess I would name mine too and make long rambling streams for them to roam, had I land to do this on. The reality is that I have always been fascinated with ponds and aquariums. The idea of keeping fish and underwater life. If I were to choose, I'd say I lean towards salt water, but would love both. Anyway, besides dreaming of a huge wall of fish in my bedroom one day, seeing this kind of market really depresses me. I worry that these places only exist because people like me are fascinated with keeping things. Taking home symbols of nature to create a fiction. I hate myself for wanting it in a way and for wanting to see the market place that feeds these fictions. Its the same as hating zoos for how sad the animals seem, but always having to go to see. I don't try to agitate the animals by tapping on the glass or yelling at them or hitting their cages with sticks, but I always see people who do.

I've taught my nephew and niece (my brother's kids) that it is not nice to do any of these things. That it upsets the animals and we should treat them well for being specimens for our study. That we are obliged to learn about them because we have taken them from their homes so we might "know" something more about Nature. I think the most people learn is about their own natures. Do you feel sympathy, curiosity, disgust, awe, empathy? Its all very adult so the most I can say is "please do not tap on the glass". It is their home and how would you feel? As they watch the other children bang the glass.


I saw a lot of kittens in cages. They were dehydrated little muffins (this is what I like to call cute and cuddly animals who are often bought and sold as "pets"), piled on top of one another in the blistering Beijing sun. Some bunnies in individual cages that are just big enough to keep them in one position and their feet gripped around the wire cage bottoms. They must think we are horrible to do this to them. Then there are the animals I would put in the "curios" category, such as exotic colored frogs, all kinds of turtles, slugs, bugs, baby birds. The bigger singing birds at least get to sit up high in birdhouses. They are showcased for their beauty. Color, plume, and song. The hierarchy of the animal species represented here on this Saturday Morning measured in freedom of movement.

There weren't any other obvious foreigners as far as I noticed. It was just us (that is Henry & I) and all the caged animals that did not belong there. The highest selling animal that was priced and available for immediate viewing was the "Exotic European Cat" for 860 RMB. Grey and listless it was an adult cat curled up in a comparatively luxurious cage all to himself. The only thing that seemed maybe "European" was that he didn't have a squishy flat nosed face like the ones that are all over the pet store scene here. (Check out my flickr from my first visit to Beijing).

The sweetest moment was as I rubbed the snout of a little black and pink piggy from the edge of his cage. Little piggy kisses. A moment that I am not sure gave him as much pleasure as it did me, but that I will remember. As we left, Henry told me that the woman following me had been asking if I wanted to buy a dog? I still suffer from heartache when I think of my muffin back home. But as much as I want to save all the animals from another day of the purgatory I imagine, I cant. I have committed to one back home. And though I am not with her now, there is no room for another in my heart right now. She is fortunate, as am I, that my sister loves dogs too. But this is her first and she already has two human babies. I am hoping that they are all bonding and falling in love with each other. As I know living together can be hard and love is a responsibility to care for each other. I hope they are falling in love. Until then I will feel like a bad mother. That I have abandoned the baby I raised. But I hope that one day I can look back and know I made the right decision to follow my heart to China. Even if it meant leaving a muffin behind. I just have to believe she is happy and in a better place than with me at the moment. Maybe because she is still young, she will adjust easily.

Trip 2: Week 5

The sweetest thing I've seen in a long time.




Go ahead and take a moment.





Henry and Matt taking a peak behind the scenes at the development in progress. (Jan 2008)

Henry's recently published feature on a new development project south of Tianmen Square, called Qianmen (front gate). It is a recreation of the neighborhood circa late 1950's, known for its colorful cultural life. The reality is that they had to erase the remnants of the past to hyper color an new version with modern international brands to take the place of local businesses and homes only the nuevo riche or foreigners can afford. The billboards of the plans that advertise its imminent opening, look like a Disney world exhibit.

And check out the multimedia piece that accompanies the story. You might find the voice of the woman's translation vaguely familiar!


Food this week:

Lotus Root

莲花

This relaxed Thai restaurant is a great find. It lies tucked away in a developed hutong on the northwest side of Di'anmen Dajie, just before the road forks into Gulouxi & Guloudong dajie. It is about midway through toward Houhai lake and just across from a sunglass store where I found two hot new shades!
It had open windows toward the street with relaxing mello western tunes to set the mood. There is a house cat that roams around and welcomes the guests and flowing mesh and hookah pipes at the tables to lend to a "den" like feel. A good date place with solid food. (Just watch the heat!)


Baihe Vegetarian Restaurant

百合素食

When you walk into this restaurant, it feels like you've entered an old scholars home. Walls of books and a private dining room if you had a large party to feed. Otherwise you are scattered around the living room with a few other guests, both Chinese and foreign, enjoying a veggie version of their favorite dish. It is low key and out of the way of a lot of hustle and bustle. For a quiet night out after OD-ing on meat elsewhere.


Art this week:


Touchme by Blendid, 2004
Effectively a xerox machine of light. You can see my after image.


National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) hosts it's first major media art show! Synthetic Times opened June 11, with the help of a couple key international players, including Barbara London (MoMA). The show is impressive in scale, precedence, and content. This show is supported by the government of China, so raise your hands for that.

A couple highlights of the show:

Henrik Menné
56L (2004) consists of solid glue, a fan, iron, a heating element, and an engine. The dimensions of the work are variable (machine 180x150x150 cm).

Anthony McCall
Between You and I (2006) a ‘solid-light’ installation.


The show was accompanied by a series of panel discussions concerning how to archive media works to panels of curators & artists speaking about their work.




VARIATIONS
Experimental theatre performance
Egg Gallery, Caochangdi, Beijing
14-15/06/2008

I also attended Open Studios at Caochangdi's Art Channel and went to see a performance in the village. Chatted up the artist who was staying in the room I am hoping to stay in come mid-July. There is no air conditioner, but other than that the room is sun filled most of the day and over looks a garden. Not too bad. I'll have my private bath, so all in all, it should be a great place to work. The artist there currently is an American Sculptor, Jacob Stanley, and a Japanese Installation artist, Takeshi Ota. I headed over to a performance directed by Alessandro Rolandi being help close by at Egg Gallery with the director of Art Channel. It was a spectacle involving the three women performers, a hired cycle and wagon, experimental music, and the swarm of audience members with cameras filling the empty space the performers created. It has an air of experimentation, but the audience is so overwhelmingly accepting, it leaves you with feelings of only pleasantries. I'm hoping to make some noise while I'm there. I hope I can ignite some interesting dialog, as well as, cultivate a supportive audience. It is a little terrifying getting back on the horse, but I can only grow from putting it out there. I've just been circling start and am ready to hit the track running.

Meanwhile, I am taking it all in. All the back and forth about China and the Olympics. I'm glad to report that it is more complex and interesting than what you'll read on the surface. Tensions are running high, even within the group of friends I hang with. Everyone speculating and we will all just have to wait and see. We are all outsiders afterall. The hope is that there are enough of us left after visa crackdowns to have a good time and let the spirit of the Olympic games prevail. But anything can happen between now and then. Stay tuned. And read my friend Matt's Olympic blog. He has some good insight into what is happening leading up to the games!

Ciao for now.

XXX

Li Jing (trying a Chinese name that also means "Crystal")

aka

click here.

Trip 2: Week 4

Shi Bu Shi
(pronounced in Beijingese "Sure, Boo Sure" with an emphasis on boo!)

It means literally "Is, Is Not?"

As with many things here, the label and the actual thing are only superficially connected. Living here is like living in a Vegas version of your real life. While it seems to me, living here for the majority of citizens is still very much like life in the middle ages. Not of course the growing and rising middle class who live quite well, but the majority of Chinese. I wonder how they will benefit from the growth of China?

On Tipping or Not

As an American, I feel guilty sometimes for not tipping for services which I am so accustomed to paying for in the States. It is like a unstated agreement with all the other foreigners to not begin tipping, as we have all become so used to getting things for nothing or close to it. Its like a flood gate scenario and you don't want to be responsible for the tidal wave. But to be fair, the idea of customer service does not exist here. Its a chicken/egg thing. Tips create incentive when service is aware of the possibility. The mentality here is that the foreigners happily pay a bit more for goods and go to places for foreigners expecting this hike, so why add tip?

Just know, even in fancy places the level of service you will receive is very basic. It may be more cultural than anything. Still trying to get a better sense of this whole issue, but the locals are getting savvy to what they might be missing out on. I can feel it.


Literally Translated

Public Bathroom = "Protect Your Health Room"


Local News Update

English language magazines are being halted starting with their summer issues, presumably for fear of possible content that could be exposed to the Olympic visitors, but who knows! There is not logic to the way media is controlled here. It is a crack down and all our magazines "That's Beijing" and "Time Out Beijing" will not be available as we've known it. Though the branding my continue to exist, the content and producers will be different. We can look out for a new project called "Beijinger" started by the folks who have been bringing us "That's Beijing." The weird thing is that usually they leave the foreigners alone to read and see what we want, knowing the general Chinese population neither has access or the desire for access to this kind of information. But now, something must be different as the rope has tightened. The biggest benefit to the status quo is that the language barrier is so strong, even for foreigners who have studied for years. Apparently, its still hard to decipher a menu, so how could you even begin to talk about bigger issues.

On the up side, blogger blogs seem to be allowed for the moment. Let's see how long that lasts.

I am learning as much as I can to try to understand what and why here. Trying to keep an open mind and keep perspective. Just hoping to make some observations, share some insight, and not sound like an ass.


Missing the air in New York and all of you who care enough to read this!

Love to you all.

I held a two week old human baby last night.

Trip 2: Week 3

Week Three has come and gone.

I spent a couple days touring the Lama Temple and the Summer Palace with some out-of-towners, as Henry worked his 8 - 6 shift. Both of these sites are must sees for a trip to Beijing.



Lama Temple (Yonghegong)

Once home to a Prince turned Emperor, Yongzheng, this lamasery for Tibetan Monks and tourist land mark, houses one of the most impressive sculptures I've ever seen. Standing approximately 60 feet high, this Maitreya statue was created from a piece of solid sandalwood gifted by the Dalai Lama to Emperor Qianlong in 1750. The trip from Nepal to Beijing took three years and the building it lives in was constructed around the finished sculpture.









The Summer Palace

The old summer imperial home is located just NW of the city. According to TravelChinauide.com, after an attack by the Anglo-French allied force, the current Summer Palace was built up from the ruins of the 'Qingyi Garden' (Garden of Clear Ripples) in 1888 by Empress Dowager Cixi via some questionable means. At this time she changed the name of this over 700 acre project to Summer Palace (Yiheyuan). It was designated as a Key Cultural Relics Protection Site of China in 1960 and a UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1998.





Find more photos on Flickr.



Qingdao or Bust! (or more popularly known as Tsingtao)




This weekend is a long weekend with the Dragon Boat Festival making Monday a National Holiday, so Henry & I are going away to the coast. To the home of Qingdao beer, a legacy of the German occupation there. We are excited about getting to the ocean, as the rest of the summer looks like it will be consumed by pre, post, and Olympic events for the news and I will be moving to Caochangdi to start my residence mid July.

Time will fly, then I will be back on the East Coast again. The future is still uncertain, but the summer promises to be full of opportunities.


Highlights of the weekend away:

Food

An Shi Stove in Hong Kong Garden area of town. It is a hip little Korean place with a a very east village feel. About 30% of businesses based in Qingdao are Korean owned therefore, there is a substantial Korean population living and working here. We noticed on our drive in from the airport that many signs were in Chinese & Korean, so were tipped off immediately.


Sights

We went to Zhongshan Park with the Zhongshan Temple (where I spotted someone's briefs being hung to dry just outside one of the buildings, refer to flickr!), the Arboretum, and the Zoo. Skipping the TV tower, as the fog laid low, and missed actually entering the zoo, as it shut at 5. We rode the lift (like a skilift, sans snow and skis) from Temple side to Zoo side and realized we have acquired an adult case of "fear-of-heights," making the whole experience much more of an adrenaline rush than an easy way to cover the vast landscape.

We also went to the Aquarium called Qingdao Underwater World, not to mistaken for the Qingdao Polar Ocean World. The Qingdao Underwater World is rated as AAAA tourist resort and is called a "modern large-scale eco-tourism project integrating marine tourism and science education." The reality of what I saw:

1/3 of the exhibits were colorless specimens in formaldehyde or dried/varnished ones
1/3 actual live fish/water mammals, some in very tight spaces, some in a larger tanks
1/3 shops with all of the above in some edible form or decorative form

It is hard to see how some animals are treated in all cultures, but here I felt spectacle was primary and education only a small room toward the exit that was easy to miss with the vast displays in all the retail shops. Contemporary China is full of contradictions. The things kept from the past like traditions of harvesting (and by that I mean killing) animals for parts used in food or "medicine," while all the benefit of the intellectuals of the past have been banished. It's a culture that has traditions without history. Even the origins of Communism and Socialism which were intellectual imports, have been so derived that it is hard to recognize the social benefits in China today.

Redstar
is an English language website that tells you all about Qingdao and the places to go, see, & eat!
It was a great find, as the lonely planet's section on the city is brief, but at least lead us to this.

Trip 2: Week 1 & 2 Back in Beijing

I am just getting my footing.

Feeling better about roaming around as getting lost in the freezing cold is no longer a problem. The sights are familiar & the language is slowly soaking in. My focus this trip is to make art, art world connections, and see more of China.


I love learning through the experience of food. Here is a special example...
Three Guizhou Men is a slightly up scale chain known for its fried ribs. The cuisine is inspired by the Guizhou region in the south, sandwiched between: Sichuan, Hunan, Guangxi Zhuang, & Yunnan. I am just learning about the 8 regional cuisines of China, so bear with me as I try to describe for you this tasty delight! It had the complex spices of Yunnan food with the hot (as in spicy) flavors of Sichuan. Guizhou is made up of over 18 ethinic minority groups, including Miao, Dong, Hui, Yi, Bouyi, Shui, Zhuang, and Gejia. The sum of which apparently contribute to the reason why it is home to more folk festivals than any other province in China! You can imagine the landscape as green countryside with terraced hillsides, waterfalls in forests, and home to the largest underground cave in China called Zhijin! (You will notice a reoccurring theme claiming the "largest" or "greatest" or "oldest" or "newest" of everything!)

I'd recommend the ribs and the sizzling beef. They also have these great potato cakes made of mashed potatoes that you are meant to dip into a bowl of orange tinted spices. You don't find a lot of potatoes in northern cuisines (as far as I have found) and potatoes are my favorite vegetable, so I miss it.

Hatsune is a solid staple for Japanese food and generally you will need to call ahead. It is Japanese as you'd find it in New York. I'm looking forward to trying restaurateur Alan Wong's new project called Haiku in Block 8, a development on the western edge of Chaoyang Park!


What I'm up to this week:

Three Shadows Sichuan Earthquake Benefit

The benefit was a huge success and I came away with an original set of New Photo. East Village costs about Y4,500 and are in limited supply, but I only budgeted myself Y2,000. Luckily, the was a collectors set of the first four issues of New Photo that was within my budget! It is a beautiful collection bound together in a handmade case with an essays by Wu Hung and Zhang Li.

Live music in Ritan Park at Stone Boat

The Stone Boat is a beautifully conceived of cafe/bar inside Ritan Park along the water. Frequented by both locals and foreigners and venue for a wide range of music, it is always an interesting place to spend some time, either with or without laptop. In the evenings, the park is closed to street traffic, but you can go in for Stone Boat. Started by a couple, her a Chinese local, him an American journalist.

Drinks on the roof of The Emperor

This boutique hotel on the east side of the Forbidden City is a sight to see and experience. Designed by GRAFT LAB, this very modern interpretation of Chinese imperial heritage is the first of its kind (as far as I have seen). Each room is named after an emperor, hence the grand title. Yin Bar, atop this bright orange hotel, is the kind of place that makes you feel as though you've been transported. The views are spectacular, as well as, the bevies and light bar menu offered. The menu itself is a work of art.


Day in Chaoyang Park

Chaoyang Park is the Central Park of Beijing. But imagine it as newly planted with a Disney World like component. Soft "Romantic" music pipped over the speaker system and a safari of staged wedding portraits as you wander this landscape, you are reminded of how every culture has its own ideals of love. Each photographer with his own long range lens lying in the grass hoping to capture that moment when there is the perfect light and angle of the couple in the mating ritual. I walked into a giant ladybug that houses the public restroom, where I encountered a gaggle of girls undressing and dressing the bride. Its hard to imagine this is the same room I worry about stomaching the odor and think how I will need to roll up my pants legs to save from soaking in the wetness from the squat stalls. It was like seeing the staging ground for the things you never think are based in reality, but really in reality. Anyway, I was especially impressed by a couple in matching wedding wear, reminiscent of the stylings of Prince circa early 80's. Now that was a sight to see. Some of the men here seem to be just as into the fantasy as the women.


Visiting galleries in the "Jiuchang (liquor factory)":


Arario Gallery
Jiuchang Art Complex
Beihuqu Road
Anwaibeiyuan Street
Chaoyang District, Beijing
100012 P.R. China

There is a part of town, where the population is mostly made up of Koreans. This Jiuchang Art Complex is just off this part of town, through construction sites and over dirt roads. It houses some galleries that have quite the reputation in Beijing. Arario is one such premier gallery. many of the galleries here seemed to be Korean-owned, which may account for its location. It is like many things in Beijing, a bit hard to find, but well worth the trip. Jiuchang was quite on the Friday afternoon I went to visit. All the spaces that were open, welcomed us and were eager to answer any questions. I was at a loss with out my name cards and enough Mandarin to network, but my Korean did come in handy a couple times.



Saturday Night at
Dos Kolegas a bar next to a drive-in movie theater!
I will try to sneak some photos of couples making out...



After a picnic dinner in Chaoyang Park, we walked to the north gate opposite Beijing's famous Drive-In Movie theater and Dos Kolegas which is in the complex housed by this theater. It was apparently the place to gather during the SARS scare, as it was exempt from laws against public gatherings, as one would assume the people were neatly contained in their metal cages they drove in on. From where I stood at the outdoor garden of Dos Kolegas, I could see no outdoor screen or the cars lined up with people watching the film. What I could see was a small body of water and some bright signs that looked more like signs in a motel parking lot. Not sure what the deal is with the drive in, but Dos Kolegas was like a mini music festival and house show rolled into one. Lots of expats and some locals that looked as East Village as you can imagine. It was the 3rd anniversary party, so it was pretty packed. At Y50 a head, they must make a killing. Some western customs are slow to be adopted, but here the locals traveled with their mini-mutts, just like Manhattan! Dog culture is catching on, but lots of people are still afraid of dogs, especially the big ones (meaning above the city limit of 14 inches).
The only place for a big dog is in the Villas just outside the 5th ring road. Though there is no guarantee that another rabies scare won't sweep the city and call for some unimaginable recourse. I will spare you if you don't know about this.

All in all, a good 2 going on 3 weeks! I've gotten myself a language tutor who is totally rad and a dog-lover too. She is a born and raised Beijinger and has a really good command of the English language despite never traveling to an English speaking land. Instead she has an American roommate and hosts travelers in their apt offering guidance, language, cooking, and anything you might need to make your trip more enjoyable. I would recommend staying with her to anyone wishing to really get a feel for Beijing. (must love dogs, ofcourse).

Love from Beijing.

Pinyin of the day:
Meiguo = USA = Beautiful Land

Pinyin statement of the day:
Wo shi Meiguoren.
I am an American person.


To Do List:

Further explore CaoChangdi Art Village (aka "The East Village")
DoArt
261 Caochangdi
Airport Service Rd.
Chaoyang District, Beijing
China