Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
First Day in China
After arriving in
following day.
As you leave
down at the border, the first thing you notice on both sides of the track is long stretches of
tall fencing, the tops slanted inward and covered heavily with barbed wire and red
warning signs in Chinese: electrified. You see guards patrolling with dogs, and as the
train begins picking up speed again, the train crew changes, the Hong Kong Chinese
crew gets off and is replaced by one from the mainland side, dressed in blue uniforms
with a red star prominently displayed on the cap.
Then, as the direct train does not actually stop at the border, a stern-looking border
guard of the People's Liberation Army, also in uniform, but this time khaki and automatic.
pistol strapped to his side, makes a cou
around almost daring anyone to challenge his authority.
You are beginning to enter classical Chinese countryside now, complete with
the proverbial peasant stooped in his rice
years and the eerie strains of Chinese music begin filtering in over the loudspeakers.
This followed by an announcement in two Chinese dialects as well as English, welcoming you to
"New China." A sense of finality combined with not a little bit of adrenaline begins washing over
you: you are finally in Communist China, without a return ticket home, for at least a year.
After a train ride of about three hours, I arrived in
customs in time to catch the next same-day train to
Apparently, though, they put the members of tour groups ahead of anyone else — this
one at least 150 strong — from
By the time I got out, it was after
(People's currency) I dashed as fast as I could with 100 pounds of luggage, over to
the main part of the train station.
It was a huge place, the Chinese equivalent of Grand Central Station, with hun-
dreds and hundreds of Chinese standing in line or milling around. I stood in a line that
looked like it was for tickets when all of a sudden, the windows all began closing —
closed for the day.
The temperature was about 88 degrees with 90-percent humidity, combining with
the body heat of all the Chinese and the din of jabbering, I felt like I was in some sort of
Dante's cacophonous hell. Sweat streaming off me, soaking my clothes, 1 dragged my
luggage again, this time outside. Here, more Chinese were milling around, old
ladies, students, with an occasional splash of khaki and scarlet from PLA soldiers, all
of them staring at me, wondering how this stupid foreigner managed to get himself
Stranded in the Middle Kingdom.
I stood their wondering what to do. It was getting dark, and there was no one to meet
me because ticket problems had made me two days early, and I had planned to be in
I looked up and saw a huge building blaz ing with huge red characters exhourting me
to "Hold high the mighty banner of Mao-tse Tung thought" across the busy plaza. I
gingerly tapped a passing soldier on the shoulder and asked if that might be a hotel
over there. He stared at me in dull non-comprehension. I forgot, they don't speak
Mandarin in
darin as German is from English. No luck here, so I dragged and pushed my luggage
across the plaza, narrowly avoiding being hit by all the cars, trucks and literally hun-
dreds of people on bikes whizzing by, everybody honking or blaring or soundAg
whatever they had.
Arriving under the Mao building, I disco vered it was a hotel. They had a vacancy and
I was saved.
Aug. 24
The next day I was able to get my ticket without any more problems. I had a pleasant
train ride of about 14 hours, heading north through
Province where Mao was bom, through
the
WuChang.
When I got there, there was no one to meet me, the train station had misplaced my
luggage and it was at least 104 degrees in the shade. This area is known in
the "Three Furnaces," one of the hottest places in
So, I was standing at the train once again, withering from blast furnace-like heat, no
one to meet me and no luggage. Then, these guys came over. They seemed to be taxi
drivers, and about six of them, staring up and down at me like I had just dropped out
of the sky, all began jabbering and blather ing at me simultaneously.
This time, because of its northern proximity, the local dialect was at least a dialect
of Mandarin.(It is about as close to true Mandarin as the Scottish brogue is to the
Queen's English.) So, straining to the utmost, I could glean a little: "Where are
you from?";"Are you a student?"; "What do you think of
It's difficult to talk to six people who are all talking at once. Actually, I felt like
screaming. As politely as I could, I told them I was here from
luggage, to study for a year and would somebody please find me a cab.
I had arrived at last.
Met my teacher to be [Mrs. Liu], who came down immediately upon hearing of my arrival—I had not been expected for 2 more days. She was a very nice lady who eased
my anxieties greatly, then put me in the [more luxurious] teacher’s dorm [which had air conditioning]. Does not speak a word of English—[so] I must always speak Chinese with her!
[Lao] Huang [whom I knew from the
here—we were very glad to see each other.
Aug. 27
Was taken into town to get my luggage, but it still hadn’t arrived.
Went to Lao Huang’s house for lunch [and] was given a ride on a bike by
a complete stranger (!) after asking directions to his house.
Aug. 30
Went over to Lao Huang’s house to deliver some goods he had left in the
luggage finally arrived!
He took me out to the campus [of
[and] the weather unbelievably hot [approx. 100 degrees with 100 % humidity].
(You become drenched from head to toe with sweat after walking only a few minutes. )
He showed me the Foreign Language Dept., where I’ll be teaching [and] the two libraries: one technical and one for literature.
Aug. 31
Went into town do buy (another) Chinese dictionary today—I’m going to need a small
trunk to haul all them all around! Chinese-English, English-Chinese, Simplified-to-Complex [characters], Complex-to-Simplified…..aaaayah!
While on campus, I stopped at a store for a soda or two, being so thirsty. While standing
there, a Chinese student next to me begins a conversation, [in English] without looking at me directly:
He: “You’re a foreign friend from what country?”
Me: “US”
He: “Ah, a very big country!”
Me: “Yes, almost as big as
He: “But, we have too many people.”
Me: (Obligatorily): “No, not at all.”
He: “What is your opinion of our country?”
Me: “[Yours] is a very big and beautiful country [and] your people are very friendly.”
He: “What do you think of Reagan’s foreign policy towards
Me: (Careful now: politics): “Of course, I’m glad about our new agreement (a joint communiqué just signed), but I think the question of
people to solve without outside interference (meaning US arms to
He: (Satisfied…): “Yes, yes.” (I had passed the test). “Well, it was nice talking to you, foreign friend, I wish you well.”
Me: (Relieved): “And I you, goodbye.”
He: “Goodbye”
********************
Sept. 1
Was again befriended by a Chinese student on the road. Turns out he had been taking English lessons from some of the visiting professors from State [SDSU] over the summer and had heard I was coming over [not by name]. We are now solid friends.
Sept. 2
Sick as a dog with a severe cold. I started my first Chinese [language] class with
Liu Lao Shi this morning at 8 am. Read from an essay she had me translate for homework. She then took me to the campus nurse for some aspirin and traditional
Chinese medicine, but only after I had to explain my entire symptomology to the nurse
in Chinese! Received a couple tiny vials of traditional [Chinese] medicine, consisting
of pills the size of pinheads. Four per day. It’s hard to see them, let alone take them!
[They are] sort of like camphor.
Met a Chinese girl majoring in American Literature, who spoke flawless British English.
She was introduced to me by my Japanese friend Xi Yuan [Akira]. I made the mistake
of telling her I had studied American Lit. in my first 2 years of college. She immediately
began asking my opinion of early 20th cent. ‘Stream of Consciousness’ Literature! Ayyah!
Sept.19
What a day! My Chinese friend showed up to take me to Hankow to deliver some stuff
to Fang’s brother, in the pouring rain! We took the bus downtown. We first went to try
to find his friend, who wasn’t home, [and then] we went to an artist’s house, who did
oil paintings which seem fairly good [to my untrained eye]. There was even a female
nude [painting] on the wall, which she had done; how very un-socialist, as well as very
un-Chinese [nude painting is not part of the Chinese tradition of art].
While we were there, air raid sirens began going off, followed by the booming
of heavy artillery! I was sure the Russians were attacking, but the Chinese appeared
unconcerned, so I figured it was alright. I later found out [the Chinese military] had
been practicing with blanks.. They apparently have an extensive underground shelter
system [here in Hankow], as well as in
We then stopped off at a public phone booth to call Fang’s brother. It was the most
‘public’ booth I’ve ever seen: you go up to a window in a building and ask the man
inside to let you use it—and he sits there, the whole time, listening! (I found out that
the [city] phone book is not a State secret [as I had heard].
We then proceeded to Mr. Chen’s house [Fang’s brother?] and was warmly received
by his family and treated to a typical Chinese feast, complete with beer and Mao
Tai [strong Chinese distilled liquor]—whew! he also gave me some books on
Chinese art as well as a sample of his own work. A very nice family.
His olddad was even there. Sat in his chair all afternoon, not saying anything, just eating and pouring down Mao Tai as if it were water.
We then went to the [State] FriendshipStore and then came back by ferry and bus.
Sept. 10: In Which We Get Our First Taste of Paranoia: Chinese Style
Barely here 2 weeks and already we get our first taste of
Before coming over, I had read all the worst books on
conversations on the street between foreigners and Chinese who, then minutes later, are hustled away
by the police for interrogation for unauthorized contact with foreigners. Not the most recommended reading for someone prep aring to go over. (On second thoughts, maybe they do serve a useful function: namely, after reading them, almost anything is a pleasant surprise)
I had been here barely two weeks and already I had made at least one Chinese friend and had had several "unauthorized" contacts.
(For reasons which elude me to this day, during the period I was at WuDa, 82-84, for whatever reason, either consciously or simply out of ignorance, the universtiy did not feel that the foreign students' contacts with Chinese needed monitoring on their part. Besides the
almost universal practice of requiring Chinese visitors to sign in
and out at the Foreign Expert's Building (which they did detest), during the whole time Akira and,I were living together, both at the students' dorm and later, at our little house, we had Chinese friends coaling and going .with impunity. Of course, after WW and I married .and left, I'm sure they regretted it. Akira told us later that an officer of the PSB came by after we left to inquire whether there were any other foreign students with Chinese boy or girl friends. To which he very wisely replied he had no idea; in fact there were.)
At any rate, one night when Shawn and I were sitting in my room talking about .our, initial impressions of the Middle Kingdom, there was a knock at the door and who should be standing there but two Chinese graduate law students Akira had introduced me to briefly earlier that week. Gu and his friend named after the well known Chairman.
Shawn and I looked at each other with delight: Chinese intell ectuals daring to enter the Expert's building just to see us! We eagerly bade them come in and sit down. We offered them beer and American cigarettes, secretly enjoying, this taste of forbidden fruit.
Gu, it turned out, was studying both Western, and the newly cod ified Chinese law in hopes of going abroad to Canada to continue his studies, with no intention whatsoever of returning, we were to find out later.)
Naturally, his English was flawless. His friend was less ambitious, satisfied with simply graduating and getting a decent job assignment (decided by the government and called fen
the "orders'"' received by military personnel; little personal
choice or preference is involved, unless one has connections in the government, or ‘guan xi,’ as it
is known in Mandarin.
As we all relaxed and smoked our cigarettes (the beginning of a nasty habit I wasn't able to quit until leaving the country two years later).
Mao, I noticed, was gravitating towards me because he had found that I spoke some Chinese, his English not being nearly as fluent as his companion's. However, as we began talking of increasingly complex topics, I found myself quickly reaching the outer limits of my 2 years of Mandarin. We finally broke down and began using a 50-50 combination of English and Chinese.
I also quickly discovered that Shawn had, by far, the more interesting partner. Between sentences with Mao, I was discreetly eavesdropping on their conversation and I was thunderstruck by what I was hearing.
The snatches I kept picking up were things like, "We Chinese youth….are becoming disillusioned with Communism... suffered terribly during the Cultural Revolution...my father...jailed as a spy for the Americans... are looking for alternatives to all this repression we live under...so little freedom...looking to the West..."
I stole glances at Shawn who returned them with the same sense of growing alarm we both felt: was it really that bad here and, if so, would our two companions end up in the Chinese gulag for speaking their minds so freely to foreigners like this?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
