Returns

I am back in Prague from my 2.5 months in China, it took me up till now to come to terms with this fact... :) I thought not writing anything or not talking much about it would prolong my mental return to this 'old' place..
I really loved my last day and night in Beijing, on Saturday the 17th of February. Everyone in Tibet and China was celebrating the New Year. A flight from Lhasa on that day to Chengdu and to Beijing; it took almost the whole day. In each city a glimpse at the festivities and huge and never-ending fireworks. Beijing was near to dangerous when trying to walk some of the streets in the center.. And strangely, after a month of traveling around the country, the one night stay in the capital felt like coming home.
..As if writing meant forgetting or killing the memories one cherishes of special moments. I hope I am wrong!

Good Bye Beijing and Next Time...

I am leaving Beijing today (train to Pingyao in a couple of hours), need to pack, check out...

I left the office on Friday to go to a New Year Party (celebration of Spring Festival that starts in mid Feb), quite an insightful view into local entertainment. My colleagues sang popular songs, danced, played instruments, played theater sketches and had talk shows... as I was told such kind of entertainment is very common and popular and kids get ready for this ever since they enter school.

..When I was visiting my Czech Beijing friends, they showed me a video piece from a university party that was exactly the same! (Ok, not the same but very similar, the difference was hip hop dancing whereas at 'my' party there was a film made by my colleagues; and of course different people.. )

My travels - quite a long list so I do not want to say I will go to all the places. Let's keep it easy and pleasant..

For my stay in Beijing, next time what I would change:
- I would rent an apartment for myself somewhere in the center.
..I no longer want to live in a hotel, after 6 weeks.
..2nd or 3rd ring would do, most preferably near Lama Temple.
- I would buy a bicycle.
..I thought it was quite cold now in winter; but apparently others cycle even in snow!
- I would work from home and go to the office once or twice a week.
..As almost everyone does it in my team in here.

So I am off for my 4 week holiday traveling in China. Wish me good luck.. :-)

China on Blisty

An interesting set of articles on China on a Czech open internet daily called 'Blisty' started by Jan Culik, in Czech language only.

Curse of the Golden Flower

This new Chinese blockbuster film nominated for Oscars has been discussed by almost everyone in Beijing. Critics differ in opinion; for foreigners it is hard to understand all nuances and the full background. Cinemas in Beijing (only multiplexes exist) are very expensive (around 80 yuan or more) and usually companies give employees free tickets, that's how most people get to see this film in the cinema... (In provinces it is much cheaper of course, and DVDs are just 8 yuan.. and, yes, of course this one is already available..) My colleague Lois took me to the cinema and whispered tiny details during the show. So helpful! Below follows background info for the film provided by another colleague, Annie, somewhere from the internet. Enjoy reading and the film!

This movie's rough storyline was based on Cao Yu's Thunderstorm. Cao Yu (1910-1996) is a renowned modern Chinese dramatist who is regarded as "the Shakespeare of China". If modern Chinese drama has come of age in the 1930s, then Cao Yu and his dramatic trilogy of Thunderstorm, Sunrise and The Wilderness are a hallmark of this maturity. Rich in implications and excellent in techniques, these dramatic works are regarded as the classics of modern Chinese drama. Just before graduation in 1933 when Cao Yu was only 23 years old, he finished his virgin play Thunderstorm, to be followed up by Sunrise (1936) and The Wilderness (1937).

Although the original Thunderstorm was set in a declining feudal-capitalistic family in the 30's of Chinese high society, the adaptation of the original storyline to the decadent Late Tang Dynasty setting is a job well-done. Indeed, moving the setting to the Forbidden Palace raises the intensity of tragedy and struggle exponetially, while naturally blending in stunning visuals and painstaking detailing of the historically accurate scenes of royal life.

After impacting audiences world wide with heart-breaking love stories (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and impeccable martial arts and grand courage of historical Heros, Director Zhang Yimou turned dark in Curse of the Golden Flower. The characters are more 3D and complicated, the desire runs deep--no love but lust; no vision for the common good but personal goals; no promise and no hope. The decadent palace, luscious flesh and gorgeous pure gold jewelry contrast the darkness of human reality--everyone is for their desire and the result is a monstrous machine called "the Empire". Every frame is a master piece oil painting. A haunting, heart-twisting master piece.

Below is a brief introduction for the drama Thunderstorm, which the film Curse of the Golden Flower used for reference:
*Thunderstorm, The*/(Leiyu,1934)/---Written by Cao Yu, this full-length modern drama features the complicated relationships among the members and servants of a large well-off family and the family disintegration as a result of the morbidity and corruption in old China. A son of a wealthy family, Zhou Puyuan, has an affair with the family maid, Shipping, and she bears two sons. After he marries a wealthy woman he keeps the eldest son and drives Shipping away with the youngest. Shipping marries a butler, Lu Gui, and they have a daughter , Sifeng. An entangled family history is played out in what turns out to be a tragic ending. The play was first premiered in the 1930s in Chongqing, but was later presented in Beijing in 1954 by the Beijing People's Art Theater and then staged in Shanghai in 1959 by the Shanghai People's Art Theater. It is in the repertoire of both Theaters. The play has been also adapted into a film with the same name twice, and performed as a ballet by the Shanghai Ballet Troupe in 1983. Playwright: Cao Yu; directors: Xia Chun (Beijing) and Wu Renzhi (Shanghai).

Czechs in Beijing

Finally I met my first Czechs in Beijing :). It took quite a long time as the timing was so bad. Contact info received from Iveta and Martin in Ostrava, but it turned out that my colleagues also knew the very same people! It seems quite a small world out here.
Katerina, Lukas, Lada and Stepan all live and work in Beijing, mainly teaching English. Length of current stay from 5 months to 3-4 years. They speak Chinese pretty well!

After 6 weeks it was my first chance to speak my language and just to chat about various things, mainly China, likes and dislikes (Lada had her day... :) ), plans for my trip.., but also about Olomouc department of English studies (Paul Whittaker), Culik in Glasgow and his classes of journalism, Katerina's writing about China to Pravo newspaper (she's a journalist), about living in Brno, Ostrava, Prague, future plans and travels etc. Just a feel of home and of the 'old days when I was around 27, 28' as these 'kids' are... ;) Kidding.. :)

I wish I could have met them all earlier, not the last night in Beijing... but at least I did! Thanks to all and greetings! :)

There are about 70 Czechs in Beijing in total.. most probably. Mainly around the embassy. There is a bigger community in Shanghai having quite regular get togethers.

I am 33

On 1st February.

I went on a shopping spree with my colleague Lois last week and I bought presents for myself - 3 pairs of earrings. :) Yes, a very girlish thing.. but I could not resists it. And it is my birthday!



Questions whether I am old?

According to a Beijing friend, yes, very old. And I have nothing.. no flat, no husband, no child. So viewed from this angle.. I am doing something wrong... and given the Chinese attitude towards women - if they are over 30 and still not married... they are thought to have little chance.. (I suppose it is similar in Europe, even though it is not so much discussed.) Many Chinese girls and women have a new year resolution to get married. Even though they do not go out with anybody now, but just get married! This attitude might be changing with professional life and working in cities... but.. For me personally I do not judge others by age.. And I hate such pressure in society towards marriage as everyone has their own time in their life and some things are meant to be done, some not.. now or later.. I know I am changing with my age (and these last months my attitudes to many things have been changing quite rapidly.. and preferences.. and what I want to do 'in my life' and with it.. but..) I know I want to live with someone I love no matter what. And be surrounded by friends.

Oldest Chinese Coins

There is a numismatics museum near Jishuitan metro station (or subway as everyone calls the metro here). It was not planned to go there, I just got on the wrong bus and did not feel like getting off when I found out. The museum is very small but equally interesting; it is placed near a big tower that promises grand displays on several floors with stunning views; but in fact there are only a few display rooms near the very entrance and the tower itself is pretty abandoned and strange, giving me feeling that it must have been a place for parties of party members... (a terrace with many rain washed plastic chairs scattered around a bar.. etc.).

Also currency:



And more:

Bells and the Biggest One

Great Bell Temple in Beijing hosts the largest bell in China, 6.75 in height. It displays many other bells collected from all over China. There is a lady who will play popular tunes on various bells (also bells made of square stone), she even played a Czech song (I immediately forgot the tune because she went on to play Jingle Bells and it completely washed away my memory of the Czech tune.. whatever I did to suggest to her to play the previous tune again, she would not understand..).



For bell lovers, this is the ideal place to be. Pity there was not much commentary in English or an English guide. I would have loved that.



Details.. Need a dictionary for this one..

City Views

This is my most favorite one...

..View from the Drum Tower. A place I have visited twice so far and I still feel attracted to it due to its views of BJ heading south to the Jingshan Park and Forbidden City. Magic.



The neighboring Bell Tower.



Bell Tower as seen from Drum Tower - heading north.



Western view overlooking hutongs.

"No Time, No Post"

..True. You can find such a statement on this blog which I like very much. The blogger is a Czech guy that I found through looking at other bloggers' profiles - we match the film 'Crying Game'. I like his writings, his style and his admirable scope of interests. His previous blog is in Czech. And yes.., he's a journalist.

Kung Fu Monk

Another documentary on National Geographic Asia (yes, there was time when I watched TV quite often.., this one I watched on 31 Dec as my own private celebration of the New Years Eve).

This was about a Kung Fu master. His beginnings - he came to the Shaolin Temple at the age of 5, he was from a rural poor family. One of the best students, he was the first one to leave Shaolin and China. In 1992 the Shaolin monks went on their first US tour, and he used this opportunity to defect. He was granted asylum and he stayed in New York. China lost their Shaolin superstar.

Jim Jarmush spoke in the documentary on the connection between blacks and Shaolin movies influence - these movies would be played only on the city outskirts - blacks would identify with them also because of this outsider aspect.

...I might be going to the Shaolin Temple in China.. what I heard of it is: the worst Chinese experience, dirty, kung fu classes are just drill, the kung fu master is just after money driving his BMW... So not much good reference.. but to be seen. From what I have read, many rural kids still flood the school as this might be one of the few opportunities for them to do something with their lives.

Inside the Forbidden City

There was a program on National Geographic Asia from the "Inside.." series called Inside the Forbidden City.

It was telling the history of this emperor and government seat of China. So just a few notes scribbled down.. I was lucky to see the documentary as I saw more from the F.C. in the film than in the actual place itself. The main halls are undergoing reconstruction now and they are closed to public until the Olympics. It would be worth it to get the documentary on DVD, so beautifully done and insightful.

Hall of Supreme Harmony - there are Golden Bricks - they are unique because they survive the test of time. It took 2 years to create them and they are hundreds of years old without the need to restore them at all. They are made of clay in a very special and laborious way; and because of this highly demanding process of manufacturing, they were as expensive as gold, therefore they were called golden bricks.

Restoration of Forbidden City is undergoing, an international team is working on it right now. 8 million visitors a year in F.C. Built in 1407-20. Legend has it that there are 9999 rooms. Seat of government and sacred place. Emperor's seat. It is the navel of the world.

Before there was Genghis Khan's palace - this was destroyed in order to build the new palace. 14 years of construction, 1000 buildings, over 10000 rooms. Home of 24 emperors, seat of government, heart of civilization. "City within a city." It is "an ultimate mystery destination". Largest wooden complex in the world. On the UN list of World Heritage sights. Mandarins - 9 ranks, distinguished by hats and embroided animals on their clothes.

Wood - for the Hall of Supreme Harmony: 100,000 logs. Pillars (= single tree) - it took 4 years to get the logs from the South to the North by river - only during monsoon rain season.

Emperor's dragons- they are different/special - 5 claws. Dragons bring water (rain).

Stone stairs to the Hall of Supreme Harmony. A big stone, it took 28 days to move this stone to BJ - on ice. They would be able to move it in winter only - dig a path on the road and pour water on it to get ice - pull the stone on it. (A very common method in that time.)

Eunuchs - in 1912 the emperor had 1,500 eunuchs. China - first country of meritocracy. Chinese government based on literacy. 1861-1908 - Xuxi: she was a concubine that gave the only son to the emperor; a disaster for China - she spent lots of money. 1924 the emperor was expelled from the F.C.

Another Incredible Weekend

On Saturday and Sunday 5 and 6 January I went to quite many places..

Ruins of the Old Summer Palace (Ruins of Yuanmingyuan) - really ruins; 1860 is the unhappy year for all places of any historical value in Beijing due to the French-Anglo attack. Very few monuments survived.. Temple of Heaven - splendid; completely renovated though..; large park around it; so majestic.

Xi Hai, Hou Hai and Qian Hai - lakes just before the 2nd ring; with the Former Residence of Soong Ching Ling (wife of Sun Yat-sen); Drum and Bell Tower making axis with Forbidden City and offering an astonishing bird eye view of Beijing; Bei Hai Park with the White Pagoda.. such a big park with a big lake.. so much to see..

Old streets, hutongs, magnificent architecture, insight into the structure of the city with astronomical meaning behind it; history of the towers - announcing time - 7pm-5am curfew; gates closed and no one would be allowed into the city. First stroke drums then bells. Time was counted every two hours.

Wang Yan

I met Wang on a bus to Fragrant Hill on Tuesday 2 January. Freezing day, round 11 am. Both of us heading in the same direction with the same goal; I got on the bus and sat down just behind her not knowing that within 30 mins we would be walking up the hill together and chatting about various things almost like old friends.

My camera was broken so Wang took charge of all the photos. Oh, how she likes being in the photos (unlike me!). But we took turns taking pictures... so I could not escape being on the photo as well (a strange feeling).

Another weekend she took me to more places in Beijing (Old Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Wangfujing Dajie - a commercial street in the very center with lots of shops but also with small streets with souvenirs, street food and opera singing). A great and very friendly companion with a heart and lots of smiles; born in Hunan province where the Chairman was born.

At Fragrant Hill, in a house where Mao spent some time

Asian Games 2006 in Doha, Qatar

In December 2006, the 15th Asian Games took place in Doha, Qatar.

It was the second largest multi-sport event and third largest sporting event in the world, behind the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup.
QATAR (in the Gulf of Arabia) was -- until the discovery of huge reserves of oil and natural gas -- a cluster of small fishing and pearling villages. It's population is about 800,000, so the crowds were unlikely to be huge for the 424 events in 39 sports taking place over the 16 days of the Games. It was the largest sporting event ever held in the Middle East. Qatar is going to bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Billiards was just one of the non-Olympic sports featuring in the Games with kabaddi, wushu, karate, equestrian endurance racing and sepaktakraw giving a distinctly Asian flavour to the continental event.

China won the most medals followed by Japan and South Korea.

Links:
Doha Asian Games
Doha 2006 Official website
Asian Games history:
DELHI 1951 (India)
MANILA 1954 (Philippines)
TOKYO 1958 (Japan)
JAKARTA 1962 (Indonesia)
BANGKOK 1966 (Thailand)
BANGKOK 1970 (Thailand)
TEHRAN 1974 (Iran)
BANGKOK 1978 (Thailand)
- For the eighth consecutive Games, Japan topped the medals table.
NEW DELHI 1982 (India)
- China toppled Japan, winning four more gold medals than the Japanese.
SEOUL 1986 (1988 Seoul Olympics) (South Korea)
BEIJING 1990 (China)
HIROSHIMA 1994 (Japan)
BANGKOK 1998 (Thailand)
PUSAN 2002 (South Korea)
DOHA 2006 (Qatar)

Chinese Media (Hotel View)

TV
- More than 60 programs (!) available in the hotel to watch.
- State television: CCTV (Chinese Central Television) - 16 programs (!).
- Many other televisions/programs from provinces (i.e. around 40-50 or perhaps even more).
- All of them showing mainly entertainment/educational programs.
- Was it not for the language and faces, the programs would be unrecognizable from any other TV in Europe by their look (modern design, bright lights, fashionable clothes, everyone looks smart and happy, ..only sometimes angry when it comes to solving social issues, but decently moderate).

TV in English
HBO Asia (with Chinese subtitles)
National Geographic Asia (with Chinese subtitles)
CNN
CCTV9 (Chinese state television English channel)

- HBO/NG are preselected for the country's audience, there are no controversial films/documentaries shown, of course. HBO/NG/CNN can be viewed only via cable which for local people requires special permission (hard to get as I was told).
- CCTV9 is a very ambitious and I would say successful project to inform foreigners about world and local news through the official eyes, but still in a very interesting way for someone completely new to the country. It offers news, discussions, documentaries, special series etc. The English of all presenters and reporters is simply excellent, cream of the cream. This is my most favorite news TV station in Beijing, it is not as aggressive as CNN which contains so much advertising and clip reporting. CCTV9 is available to everyone in China.
More: HBO films to air in China


Internet
In the hotel, I cannot access:
wikipedia
google video
many other pages undownloadable
BBC, RFI, B92 etc. take far too long to download and I give up..

Radio
I have not explored this yet as I found only about 1 English radio station that did not appeal to me. Others are in Chinese.

China Super Girls

Simply Super Girls...

chinadaily.com.cn - 29 Dec 2006

Press excerpts

Opening China: Changed Regulations on Foreign Media

Foreign journalists 'welcome in China'
New regulations for foreign media may be prolonged

As of December 1, 2006, foreign journalists in China may interview anybody with the consent of the interviewee only - the scope is not only sports but also politics, the economy, society and other fields. The new rules expire on October 17, 2008 (after the Olympics) but might be extended. They replace restrictions that have been in place from 1990 (when Regulations on the Supervision of Foreign Journalists and Resident Foreign News Organs were issued).

There are currently 606 resident journalists from 319 foreign news organizations of 49 countries working in China. About 3,000 to 5,000 foreign journalists visit China each year.

"I'd very much like to go to rural areas in China because
farmers' issues are the biggest challenge for China."
Joanna Brent, spokeswoman of the WHO China Office

Nouveau Rich Undermining Family Planning

Are the rich challenging family planning policy?
China adheres to family planning policy: premier

According to the family planning introduced in the 1980s:
- An urban couple can have a second child, if both husband and wife are the only children.
- Farmers can have a second if their first child is a girl.
This regulation helped Asia's biggest economy reduce its population by 300 million.

- Those who have second children are fined, but for the rich, the fines are more than affordable:
A shoe factory boss who has a net value of 14 million yuan had to pay some 60,000 yuan (US7, 500$) in fines for his second child, Web portal sohu.com reported.
- Returned overseas Chinese can have the second child.
- For Shanghai's emerging bourgeois, it's popular for the mothers to give birth to their second children in foreign countries, thereby securing a visa for them.
- Gender identification for non-medical purposes will be severely punished and policies advocating the rights of girls and women as well as gender equality and birth control will be carried out.
- Countryside is the priority and the most difficult task of family planning, where maintaining a low birth rate is crucial.
- Family planning among migrant workers needs to be strengthened as well.

chinadaily.com.cn - 29 Dec 2006

Press excerpts

Death Sentences in China

Top court reviews all death sentences
The Supreme People's Court will now take a closer look at death sentences passed by the local courts. From January 1, it will review all death sentences in the country.
Each case will be reviewed by a team of three judges. They will be required to check the facts, laws applied and criminal procedures adopted.
Courts at all levels must exercise extreme caution when passing the death sentence, and the penalty should be reserved for only an "extremely small number" of serious offenders.

Nie Shubin, a young farmer in North China's Hebei Province, was executed in 1995 after being convicted of raping and murdering a local woman. But early last year, a rape and murder suspect arrested by police confessed he had committed the crime.

Shaanxi 'Temple Killer' loses appeal, executed
Qiu Xinghua was executed with a single gunshot near a river in Ankang, Shaanxi Province. The court found that Qiu killed 10 people in a temple near his home, because he thought one of the victims flirted with his wife which was found to be not true. However, lawyers and scholars have voiced doubts about Qiu's mental state.
Some experts believe that Qiu was clear-minded while committing the crimes. Li Meijin, a psychology professor at the Chinese People's Public Security University, said Qiu filled in a psychological questionnaire which showed he was in control of his faculties.

Gang members sentenced in Loudi
Seven of the 97-member gang, which committed crimes as murder, gambling, blackmailing and drug trafficking from 1990 to 2003, were sentenced to death, four to suspended death, and seven to life imprisonment.
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China issues white paper on national defense
- China pursues a national defense policy which is purely defensive in nature.
- Its strategic task is to build a powerful and fortified national defense, to build informationized armed forces being capable of winning informationized wars by the mid-21st century.

chinadaily.com.cn - 26 Dec 2006

Press excerpts

Rich-poor divide serious, study finds

..Today in China, rich people, accounting for 10 per cent of the population, control 45 per cent of the total social fortune, and poor people, also 10 per cent of the population, only control 1.4 per cent..

..There are 130 million poor people in China, most earning less than US$1 a day..

..While the white collars in Beijing are planning a New Year trip to Hong Kong or Thailand, many others are trying to scrimp and save and worrying about increasing costs in medical care and food.

..A good educational background and knowledge were not the decisive factors in gaining wealth..

Blue book: Medical costs China's top social concern

..Medical expenses had risen to 11.8 percent of household consumption in China, surpassing expenditure on education and transportation.

..Most rural dwellers have no medical insurance.

..One third of poor rural patients in China choose not to go to hospital and 45 percent of the hospitalized farmers ask to be discharged before they have recovered.

..Unemployment was the second major concern, followed by the wealth gap, corruption, pensions, educational charges, housing prices, public security, social values, and pollution, according to the blue book.

..83.4 percent believe the social problems are temporary and 91.6 percent believe the Communist Party of China and the government are able to deal with the problems satisfactorily.

Subsidy net to cover all rural poor

..The rural poor are the most vulnerable segment of the population that must be taken care of in the country's drive to build a 'harmonious society..

..In particular, the allowances would help those who have lost their farmlands to development projects..

..The amount of allowance for each person will not be large, since there are many in need..

Social safety top concern of urbanites

..Social security has edged out employment to become the top concern of residents in urban China where a record number of jobs were created this year..

Unified 25% corporate tax proposed

..After enjoying favourable tax policies for decades, overseas companies may have to pay the same as their Chinese counterparts a unified corporate income tax of 25 per cent.